#or it may have been the production/crew who decided to play with us and make us lose our shit the moment we saw it

[avelera]

Where the heck is Satan in Good Omens S2?

And could we perhaps find evidence of him in the places where the furniture used to be?

For reference:

Hastur & Ligur, 1.1: "All Hail Satan." "All Hail Satan."

Crowley, 1.5: "I never asked to be a demon. I was just minding my own business one day and then… oh, lookie here, it's Lucifer and the guys."

Adam Young 1.6: "You're not my dad and you never were."

Satan, 1.6: "No, no, no!" (He promptly dissolves into black ash and vanishes. Immediately after, Aziraphale and Crowley look at their no-longer-flaming sword and tire iron as if not entirely sure why they're there.)

Crowley, 2.1: "Do you ever think, what's the point? ... Heaven, Hell, Demons, Angels?"

Crowley 2.2 (circa ~2000 BCE): "Satan and his diabolical ministers..."

Gabriel 2.3: "I remember when the morning stars sang together and all the angels of god shouted for joy.” (emphasis mine. Lucifer/Satan was the Morning Star. Why the heck is morning stars plural??)

Edit: Shax 2.6: “I demand that you hand over both Gabriel and Beelzebub as gifts for Satan, our master.” (Could debunk the whole theory, might not only because she seems pretty low-ranked and could be going through the motions even though he's gone, but we'll see. Including to get all the evidence down.)

... And I think there's some other S2 references to higher ups and "Our Lord" by Shax supposedly, but I'm too sleep-deprived to go combing through for them (I'd be much obliged if anyone else could grab any other exact quotes that mention Satan by name or seem to refer to him in Season 2.)

Let's first get the Doylist explanation for why Satan might not be around out of the way: Satan was the Big Bad of Season 1. He's been dispatched. Furthermore, he's played by the most likely very expensive Benedict Cumberbatch, so he's not likely to be back in a hurry if it at all can be avoided, and alluding to him at all might just create confusion with viewers who will then expect to see Satan.

(Below the cut: but what if there's more to it than that?)

But as others may have seen with the, "Metatron is actively editing the Book of Life in S2 and that's why things are weird," meta, there's quite a bit of speculation going around that something fucky is going on in S2.

However, while I agree that some points in S2 are certainly fucky I'm not convinced on all or even most of the supporting evidence. Most of the explanations have a Doylist counterpoint like "It's just bad writing," or "They just wanted to bring back some actors they enjoyed working with," or, "The film crew just made a mistake," or "They just forgot that bit of continuity." After all, half of the original writing duo is tragically no longer with us, so there's going to be some level of story drift regardless.

While in general I find the, "It's not that deep," explanation more plausible in most instances, I'd be a very poor disgruntled English Major indeed if I made sweeping claims that the wallpaper being blue is always a coincidence. It's muddier with TV because there's so many proverbial cooks in the kitchen and plenty of human error to go around, but I'd equally never claim that I think Good Omens S2 wasn't a labor of love by those who worked on it, and certainly there's evidence that care was taken in its production, so everything that's off being a mistake is also not a sweeping generalization I'd want to make either.

Which is my way of saying that I'm not convinced by the Metatron meta but I think some of the ideas there are on to something. I don't think it's plausible that a writer would in S3 reveal that in S2, the heretofore largely off-screen character of the Metatron was actively editing the story as we went with the heretofore only mentioned once, never seen, and immediately denounced as a joke Book of Life. BUT, there is some fucky stuff happening that I won't say was the result of some Genius Mastermind Writer deciding it was a good idea to actively write badly and provide stories with no payoff, but I will consider that some of the apparent continuity errors might not be so accidental as they seem, because this was a labor of love and at least on this count, I don't think that Neil was necessarily that careless. Or at least, I'm more inclined to look for clues in places where I can see logistical choices being made, rather than in more subjective claims like "This bad writing is meant to be Bad Writing and therefore a Clue." Because writing is hard even under the best of circumstances, especially in TV and having lost the aforementioned half of a beloved writing duo.

Moving on! Thing is, if we're to believe that there's some sort of mystery hidden in plain sight that was introduced in Season 2, then it did not pay off yet. This makes me a little suspicious of the overall claims that there was a hidden Season 2 mystery, because a good mystery really should pay off within the text, and expecting the reader to keep their unsatisfied suspicions in their heads for 3-4 years for a later satisfying conclusion is... optimistic at best and downright sloppy at worst.

Unless, the mystery spans the entire show. If the clues we're seeing are meant to pay off in S3, and we assume some level of competence, then more likely these are series spanning mysteries that will be satisfying when one is able to watch all three installments. And that means, if there is a mystery in S2, we should be checking back with Season 1 to look for the roots of it.

Which is what brings me to Satan.

What on Earth happened to Satan?

Is Satan still around?

Now, my theory would be much more satisfying to me, personally, if Satan's name was never spoken in S2 but alas, there is the Book of Job episode and I believe some other mentions by name, mostly by Shax? I'd love some backup on that. But I very deliberately don't count demons just saying things like, "Our lord" or making vague referrals to the powers that be to be references to Satan because if he's vanished, someone could have easily filled the power vacuum or there could be an empty throne room somewhere and everyone is just going through the motions (or he's become the Sandman Lucifer who fucked off to lie on a beach, which would be delightful. Anyway).

When Hastur and Ligure showed up in 1.1 they specifically said, "All Hail Satan," and Crowley was shown to be an outsider that he did not return this familiar call-and-response. Yet no one in Hell in S2 uses the All Hail Satan greeting. The references to Satan are few, even in Hell. There doesn't seem to be a lot of fear of Satan either, but more around other higher-ups like Beelzebub, Duke of Hell, who appears to be the highest ranking person we see in Hell?

And also interestingly, Crowley and Beelzebub are both lamenting how pointless all of this seems. Kind of interesting for two individuals who still despise Heaven too and, presumably, took Satan's side once long ago when they all Fell. The political fire has definitely gone out of them, which can be plausibly attributed to the Apocalypse failing and/or the two of them falling in love with their Angelic counterparts, but it's also just kind of weird that suddenly they both really don't see the point in any of these conflicts that once defined their existence.

Perhaps, and this is where I go out on a limb or ten, because Satan isn't around anymore?

Is there no longer a hand at the wheel in Hell, reminding everyone of their loathing of Heaven?

Is there no longer someone actively above Beelzebub, telling them what to do, such that they have the freedom to sneak away and pursue a romance with an archangel and not have their boss show up to stop them the way Gabriel's did?

Did Adam, when he made Satan not his father but more importantly that Satan never was his father, undo more than we realize?

Because that's the kind of Gaiman mystery that I can wholly believe is lurking in plain sight, because Satan was a big deal in S1, he was the Big Bad! It's in the text! The damned book series is built on the idea of a satirical Antichrist take on The Omen. All Hail Satan is one of the first spoken lines of dialogue in the book. Satan is kind of central to any story that's going to revolve around a battle between Heaven and Hell!

And yet... he's barely mentioned this season. And demons suddenly don't remember what they're fighting for. How odd.

Maggie and Nina's actresses also played nuns of the Satanic Chattering Order of St. Beryl. If there was no Antichrist, isn't it possible that neither of those women would have become Satanic nuns and might, instead, own a coffee shop and a record store somewhere?

If there was no Antichrist, isn't it possible that through some convoluted series of events, Madame Tracy, a witch, fell afoul of a demon or managed to become one herself?

Isn't it possible that once you open the door to the ripple effects of a Satan who either never existed (though the Fall still happened) or who only existed up until at least Job, but who was never Adam's father, that some other fucky things could happen too, like Aziraphale suddenly not being fond of alcohol? This continuity detail is much more of a stretch but it is such a plot point in the book that Aziraphale loves to drink and S1 that I do find that particular continuity break particularly vexing and it's one I side-eye the most in terms of "not sure if sloppiness or a Clue".

Anyway, point is:

Satan is curiously absent this season and technically, he was unmade or at least unmade as Adam's father last season. If something is fucking with the timeline, I think that on-screen, very visible event deserves some scrutiny over and beyond vaguely alluded to, off-screen fuckery by the Metatron with no in-text confirmation at all.

There's a lot of weird and bad writing in S2, sure, but some of the continuity breaks do, admittedly, feel too big to be simple oversights and I don't think it's entirely conspiratorial to think something more might be going on and if such a mystery is going to span multiple seasons, we should look back to S1 for the seeds.

It is possible that the unmaking of Satan has had ripple effects that explain some of these continuity changes and some of the cheeky casting of S1 actors in new roles as perhaps not entirely without in-story justification.

So in my mind, the question I have no answer to, but that might deserve some scrutiny going into Season 3 is:

How much did Satan never being Adam's father alter the timeline?

Edit: And here's one last spooky quote to consider: “I remember when the morning stars sang together and all the angels of god shouted for joy." - Gabriel's weird prophecy / quoting of God

Why single out the reference to morning stars plural? Lucifer is very famously the Morning Star, you can't accidentally allude to morning stars in this context without referring to him, you just can't. So what the fuck is going on with this Biblically sourced quote that sort of alludes to Satan, but not by name, and makes the reference to the Morning Star plural?? And even though it is the original text, apparently, it's still a choice by the writers to really highlight the line about morning stars and give that line to Gabriel to say in the present too. Something is sus.

[heartlandians]

'I feel like we could just keep going:' After 18 seasons, Heartland showrunner says dynamic characters still have stories to tell

After filming Heartland for 18 seasons, it’s probably safe to assume that the producers, cast and crew have endured just about everything that Mother Nature could throw at them in rural Alberta. But the production faced a unique challenge this summer.

One of the main plot trajectories for Season 18 is that the Bartlett ranch, which has been at the heart of the series since its 2007 launch, will face devastating drought conditions. It is a story arc based on the real-life challenges faced by ranchers and farmers in Alberta. Writers for Season 18, debuts Sept. 29 on the CBC, began planning this thread not long after the province went through a particularly dry period in 2023. 

But when cameras started to roll in May, Mother Nature decided not to co-operate.

“We were shooting a drought in one of the wettest seasons we’ve ever felt,” says Amber Marshall, who plays protagonist Amy Fleming in the series. “It was quite a challenge showing characters out there talking about how if we don’t have rain, we’re not going to make it, in this lush green pasture. It’s one of those things where you write scripts so many months in advance and the previous summer had been so hot and dry, so that’s what they were basing it off of. Last year, everything was crispy and dry and hot and then this summer it’s beautiful and raining and lush green and we’re talking about this big drought that’s impacting the area.”

So the crew, already adept at negotiating Alberta’s mercurial climes, occasionally had to shoot around the flourishing green fields to capture the hardship. It all plays into a “save-the-ranch” vibe that will be a part of Season 18. Drought is not the only challenge this season facing the clan, which still includes Amy, older sister Lou (Michelle Morgan), father Tim (Chris Potter) and grandfather Jack Bartlett (Shaun Johnston). The operations are also facing increased competition by Pryce Beef, a neighbouring ranch whose practices are adversely impacting the Bartlett business.

“They are selling beef to a lot of the same venues that we would be,” Marshall says. “It’s head-to-head rivalry with your next-door neighbour and that’s why Lou steps up and tries to use her business background to make a go of the profitable side of the ranch.”

While the writers have decided to put more focus on the day-to-day struggles of a working ranch in Alberta, Heartland would not be Heartland if these challenges didn’t intersect with the characters’ personal lives and loves.

Since 2007, the Canadian public has had the rare opportunity to watch a family evolve for nearly two decades as the Bartlett-Fleming clan became the expanded Bartlett-Fleming-Morris-Borden clan. When Lou and Amy arrived at the ranch, the latter was only 15. That means she was a year younger than Lou’s oldest daughter Katie (Baye McPherson) will be in Season 18.

Longtime viewers watched Amy arrive at the ranch as a young teen grieving the death of her mother and grow into a young adult, wife, mother and – at the beginning of Season 14 – devastated widow forced to deal with single motherhood after the untimely death of longtime character Ty (Graham Wardle).

After mourning the death of her young husband, Amy eventually began seeing other men as time passed. In Season 17, that included Nathan Pryce Jr. (played by Spencer Lord). In a Romeo-and-Juliet twist, he just happens to be part of the family that owns the competing ranch. Further complications arise with the return of Ty’s best friend Caleb (Kerry James), who wants his relationship with Amy to be more than just friends.

“Amy is becoming very close with Nathan, who is the neighbour they are in direct competition with,” Marshall says. “So, of course, that doesn’t sit well with Amy’s family and it causes some ups and downs in the relationship with him and the family and she is stuck in the middle of it.”

As always, these soap-opera entanglements will be balanced with Heartland’s usual helping of horses and other animals as Amy continues to work with troubled equines. Marshall is now a producer on the series and one of her main tasks is dealing with the horses that are brought onto the show. She has been a devoted equestrian since before she was cast as Amy and it remains an integral part of both the series and her life.

“At the beginning of the year, we talk about the arcs and we look at the horse storyline(s),” she says. “Does this make sense? Can we bring in new horse characters? Can we bring in new horse breeds? How is this going to work with the fundamentals of what goes on behind the scenes, like the wranglers finding these horses? Can the horses do the discipline we’re asking them to do? Are they going to be comfortable on the set? So a lot of my time and energy goes into the animal actors and the horse storylines.”

It all fits into a solid formula that has been winning Heartland fans around the world. Last week, CBC announced it would be expanding its streaming portfolio with a separate channel dedicated to Heartland that will feature the first 17 seasons of the series.

Despite the drought, competition and heartache, the Heartland ranch still needs to be the sort of romantically rustic and aspirational setting where families and teens want to spend time.

Mark Haroun became showrunner of the series in 2016 but has been with Heartland since the beginning. He landed an entry-level script supervisor job on the series in its debut season. The key seems to be mixing new elements – the series has a habit of bringing in new pre-teen or teen characters every few seasons, for instance, to keep that demographic appeased – with the traditional aspects. While Haroun could have never predicted the show’s longevity, he said he did recognize early on that it was something special.

“I certainly knew that there was lightning in a bottle with Heartland,” says Haroun, who picked up the Showrunner Award this year at the Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards. “It’s that combination of the cast and the kinds of stories we were telling. That sort of family drama didn’t exist on television. That audience hadn’t been tapped into. It did feel like there was something really special from Day 1.”

While the series is still going strong after 18 seasons, there are inevitable questions that come with such longevity. When will it end? How will it end? Are the cast, crew and writers prepared for it to end?

Of course, the decision will ultimately be made by the Mother Corporation. But Haroun says the hope is that the series would get enough of a runway before cancellation that the writers could create an ending that is satisfying for them, the actors, the characters and the audience. Whatever the case, Heartland is a long way from being exhausted, he says.

“Nothing is guaranteed, but I feel like we have so many more stories to tell,” Haroun says. “I’ve never gone into the room at the beginning of the season and struggled to come up with stories because there are such rich, dynamic characters and it feels like we have so many places to go with stories. I feel like we could just keep going.”

Heartland airs on Sundays on CBC.

Source

[j4m3s-b4k3r]

MONKEYBONE

Here are some pre-production drawings done for MONKEYBONE, a film directed by Henry Selick. I worked on the film very briefly, perhaps only a week or two, helping with story beat boards. It was a fun gig, in part due to the location in The Presidio.

Nowadays The Presidio is one of the jewels of San Francisco - a truly beautiful parkland for residents to play in - but when I first arrived in San Francisco, it was still a functioning military base. It was already known that it would soon close, however. So discussion about what was next for the site bubbled for the first few years that I lived here. Would it become low income housing? Or yet another swanky property development, as seemed likely. Who else but big money could pay for the cleanup required after the military had left so many toxic cooties (asbestos etc) behind? 

Anyway, while such things were being decided, some of the abandoned buildings would be rented out for short term projects, one being an animated/live action comedy, that was in pre-production circa 1998 (adapted from a graphic novel - DARKTOWN  by Kaja Blackley & Vanessa Chong). I worked on MONKEYBONE in the early, eager, happy, anything-is-possible phase. It may have been so early that our work was merely a proposal, before a ‘green light’. 

Henry himself was in a great spirits, now that he was out of the shadow of Tim Burton, and Chris Columbus was his exec producer. Many of the crew were Henry’s old cronies from Nightmare Before Christmas, such as production designer Bill Boes. He’d already built models of some of the sets & locations, and these were great reference. With a tiny lipstick camera we could shoot the models from all kinds of angles, and this was enormously helpful, allowing myself & Lawrence Marvitt to bang out panels relatively quickly, under the guidance of Mike Cachuela.

Many things had not yet been decided on, such as casting. The protagonist in my sketches here was based on Nicolas Cage, but of course Brendan Fraser got the role of of Stu. Other roles were played by Rose McGowan, Dave Foley, Bob Odenkirk, John Turturro, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Kattan and even Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito. The final film really had an amazing cast.

The Presidio was not yet full of dining options, but our workspace wasn’t far from the Presidio gates, where we’d have lunch at Liverpool Lil’s, a great little pub (that has recently burned down, sadly). I also remember a really fun swanky dinner (I forget now where) with the entire tiny pre-pro crew, where Henry was in a jovial mood and writer Sam Hamm was too. Both hilariously regaling us with their Hollywood horror stories (and comparing their scars inflicted by Tim Burton). Best of all, someone else picked up the exorbitant check! (I think it was Sam Hamm?)

Years after my brief stint on MONKEYBONE I got an invite to a preview screening in early 2001. The film was madcap, weird, & even disturbing at times. Much of what I’d thought would be animated was actually handled with costumed humans in the final film, surprisingly. But it was exciting to have worked on a feature film that actually got made. This was a period where I worked on many great projects that collapsed before making it to the screen. I remember enjoying it until the very end, when I saw that I hadn't got a credit (I hadn't worked on it long enough apparently). In the lobby after the screening, there were a lot of concerned/worried/disappointed faces. Whereas I was bummed that my name was was not in the credits, many people seemed unhappy that their names were.

Ha ha!

Sure enough, the film was a financial & critical flop and has low score to this very day (despite a tiny subset of viewers who still love it, and look back on it fondly). I learned that there had been much tussling along the way to the screen. Perhaps the guy who'd done Home Alone was not the right choice to ‘mentor’ Henry? Did things go sideways after Rupert Murdoch fired Bill Mechanic? Or was it merely typical studio meddling? My guess is it was another case of AOTA: all of the above.

Henry himself sums up MONKEYBONE this way:

"I have two thoughts: it never would have been a big hit. It certainly would have done better if they advertised it a little... I would still like to do a Director's Cut because there's a lot of cool stuff that was removed... my main lesson learned is, I don't really do well in the live-action universe... I love my world of stop-motion... I went down a slippery slope to make Monkeybone, but the film that came out it's not my vision of what the film could've been, and I just don't thrive in that.”

Not long after I worked there, the fate of The Presidio was finally decided when George Lucas’ proposal to develop The Letterman hospital into a media centre was accepted in 1999. And it became the mixed-use space SF residents play in today.

----

Just last weekend, we spent a day in The Presidio, enjoying its restaurants & bars and exploring the new Tunnel Tops park. As we strolled around, I tried to figure out which of The Presidio's many buildings we worked in in 1998, but couldn't pin it down (of course, the Letterman hospital complex was levelled to build what became ILM/Lucasfilm, so perhaps the buildings we worked in are gone).

[episodicnostalgia]

Star Trek, 110 (Nov. 10, 1966) - “The Carbomite Maneuver”

The Breakdown

The Enterprise gang come across a giant spinning rubik’s cube that won’t stop chasing them.  Since the cube also emits dangerous radiation (which becomes a major health concern), Kirk gives the order to fire phasers on the atomic cube.  The cube is successfully destroyed, but since no one knows what all that was about, Kirk isn’t sure what to do next.  Spock suggests leaving, because for all they know there could be even MORE powerful Hasbro products in the area, but kirk figures that turning back would be lame, so they push forward.  While all this goes on Dr. McCoy points out that the newly promoted Lieutenant in charge of phasers (Dave Bailey) seems a bit jumpy, and perhaps he shouldn’t have been promoted.  But I’m sure ol’ Davey will hold out longer than the last guy who sat in that chair.

Anyways, the ship carries on as planned until it runs into a second vessel that looks like of like a massive yellow giga-ball.  We discover the giga-captain (named Balok) was also the owner of the Rubik’s cube and he’s none-too-pleased with the way Kirk blew it up.  Balok explains that the cube was actually a sort of warning buoy (I guess a lethal warning is the best kind?), but since kirk ignored it the Enterprise has been selected for destruction.  Thankfully Balok has a heart-of-gold and opts to grant the Enterprise a ten-minute window so the crew can dwell on their imminent demise humanely.  I bet Balok is one of those rip-the-band-aid-off-slowly kinda guys 

While Lt. Bailey completely loses his cool, Kirk attempts to out-bluff Balok with one whopper of a hail-mary attempt; threating him with a totally-not-made-up-secret-weapon called Carbomite (which isn’t even real in the Star Trek universe).  Kirks explains that Carbomite works by deflecting all attacks on federation ships, redirecting that attack back towards any assailant foolish enough to attempt it.  Balok decides that instead of risking an attack on the Enterprise, he will break off from the mother ship, using a smaller vessel (albeit still super powerful) to drag them to a nearby planet, where the crew will be left to live out their days. 

With the mothership gone, Kirk revs up the Enterprise’s engines in the hopes of burning out his Balok’s mini-ship in the process.  And it works!  The little ship is left adrift and helpless.  Kirk beams over to the ship in hopes of smoothing things out peacefully, but not only was Balok was in control the WHOLE time, he is ALSO Ron Howard’s little brother!  He explains that he just wanted to see if the Enterprise folk would act violently if they thought they had the upper hand.  Since Kirk passed the test, Balok Howard decides to let the Enterprise go, asking Kirk for one crew member to stay behind “So he can learn more about them”.  Lt. Bailey agrees to stay supposedly because it’s an exciting opportunity, and Kirk is like “cool, maybe you’ll become a less useless bag of shit along the way!” *I may be paraphrasing a tiny bit*  And everyone lives happily ever after.

The Verdict

‘The Carbomite Maneuver’ is the second episode produced (or the third if you count ‘the Cage’) and already the show is forming into what would make it so iconic.  The Kirk/Spock dynamic is on full display this time around, and their chemistry feels more natural and familiar.  We also get to meet Dr. McCoy aka ‘Bones’, who likewise exhibits a relationship with Kirk that feels meaningful without any real exposition needed.  It’s easy to see why Roddenberry had him replace Dr. Piper from ‘where no man has gone before’.

I also appreciate how minimalistic the script is, keeping the threat largely unseen while most of the action plays out on the bridge.  Star Trek famously struggled to keep budget costs down, and I’m betting this was one such attempt; then again there’s plenty of model work for the enterprise, which apparently slowed down post production. Regardless, the end result is an episode that successfully builds intrigue around an unknown adversary.  The ending is a little convenient for my tastes, but such things are more often-than-not a limitation of network television.

3.5 stars (out of 5)

Additional Observations

At one point Baby Howard shows the Enterprise crew an ‘image of himself’ which looks like a stereotypical alien. Later we find out this was a decoy which B-Howard refers to as ‘The Mr. Hyde to my Jekyll’.  But Mr. Hyde was an autonomous split personally, not an animatronic puppet, which makes his analogy pretty weak.  The Wizard of Oz would have been a better comparison, but I guess Balok didn’t have time to read through earth’s entire literary database, so I’ll cut him some slack.

I found myself disinterested in the Lt. Baily subplot.  His character served a function, but he’s just so obviously a ‘character that we shouldn’t get attached to’.  Narratively his decision to leave the Enterprise is  not dissimilar from the ending of “Star Trek: The Motion picture” over a decade later (or even Close encounters” for that matter), but this earlier iteration never felt like it earned the emotional beat it was going for. 

Baby-Clint-Howard-but-with-a-grown-up-voice is unnerving.  I would genuinely prefer to explore the galaxy with V’ger.

Clearly someone on the writing team must have had a Rubik’s cube they were unable to solve, and this was their revenge.  I don’t care what anyone else says, that’s now behind-the-scenes canon as far as I’m concerned.

I’m happy to report that Spock’s got his blue shirt this time around, except now we have Uhuru wearing the command gold instead of her usual Red!  I guess everyone just wanted a chance to try it on? Maybe it’s an ongoing prank to see if Kirk will notice.

[mitsubinyuri]

Theatre Kid JJBA Part 5 AU Headcanons!

So, I don't know if anyone cares, but I have a thread about this on my twitter so I'm gonna share my headcanons I have about the GW cast in my funny theatre kid AU! I've got a few headcanons for every character. Some of these may conflict with canon, but whatever.

Giorno:

Baritone, can reach a bit on the higher side.

He's a mediocre singer and dancer but he's a very good actor! He prefers acting in stageplays to acting in musicals, BUT

he's a big fan of obscure musicals! Like, really obscure. Sometimes he invites people over to his house to watch shitty bootlegs with him.

He started theatre around his junior year of HS, pretty late.

Narancia

Tenor

Like Giorno, he's a mediocre singer, but he's a good dancer annd actor!

He did theatre since the beginning of middle school.

He specializes in comedic scenes, and his usual scene partner (when he gets to choose) for those is Mista.

He has a lot of trouble memorizing his lines. Sometimes Fugo makes him flash cards to help.

His favorite production was Newsies Junior, which he did in 8th grade.

Pretty alright knowledge of theatre, knows most contemporary stuff and a fair bit of classics, but doesn't like the classics that much.

"Lin-Manuel Miranda is a little bitch but Hamilton is honestly peak"

Trish

Mezzo-soprano

She's a triple threat, probably the most talented and skilled of the group.

Been doing theatre pretty much all her life.

Usually casted as a sweet female lead, but she wants more "mean" roles.

She doesn't go to the Denny's cast parties because they're too loud and her castmates are stupid.

Very knowledgeable in musicals, less so in plays, and prefers contemporary.

Definitely a Heathers girlie.

Fugo

Baritone

Very, very good singer. Serviceable actor and dancer, but he used to be a pretty bad dancer. It frustrated him a lot but he put a lot of work into it and now he's better!

Started doing theatre in his freshman year, but was trained in music since he was six, along with his academic pursuits.

He taught Narancia how to read music!

He can also play the piano.

Borderline encyclopedic knowledge of musicals (and plays too), prefers classics, mostly.

Favorite musical is Les Mis and he's very pretentious about it.

Mista

Baritone, but he has a pretty good (if not untrained) falsetto.

Really good at dancing and acting, just sorta okay at singing.

Bad at staying on beat though. Kind of a broken metronome.

Can't read music. He has Fugo record parts on his piano and send them to him.

Also specializes in comedy like Narancia

Always orders the Denny's steak at cast parties, always throws up.

Only knows popular contemporary musicals and a few famous classics.

His favorite musical is Be More Chill and people judge him for it (Fugo tells Narancia he can 'do better' than someone who thinks peak theatre is 'a musical where the first line is I'm waiting for my porno to load')

His dream role is Michael in BMC.

Bruno

Did theatre in HS, was very good at it. Star pupil type of deal.

He was a low baritone/maybe bass with a good falsetto (actually trained in using it)

He's since decided he'd rather direct and write because he likes being able to actually see the show he put so much work into live.

Sometimes he can be bossy and has very specific ideas of how he wants a scene to play out, which can annoy the actors.

Very good with music theory

Likes musicals with a lot of dance.

Abbacchio

Did theatre in HS with Bruno, was never super good at it. But sometimes he'd run tech when he wasn't casted.

Now, because he actually knows how to run tech and can teach other people, he's the stage manager for Bruno's productions.

He takes very good notes.

A bit bossy with the crew and kinda mean to the actors (but we love him it's fine)

Sits in a booth with Bruno away from the main table at cast parties. They just chat. And stare deeply into each others eyes like they're gay or something.

[bluebanthamilkco]

Hey ya’ll!

Radio silence during and since Celebration took place has been a real vibe… we know. Needless to say, events like Celebration really tend to bring about a lot of soul searching and that’s certainly been the case this year.

So here’s what’s been discussed between the three of us, summarised with lovely bullet points:

Mat came back feeling a little lost and scattered (COVID probably didn’t help this)

We all met to discuss the future of the channel, the current mood towards A.I. and where we fit inside of that.

Priorities in our real lives and how we work around those to keep this channel making things that we enjoy.

And here’s what was decided:

The Banthaverse will remain…

But we will only do one of those long-form stories per year. We will, however, shift away from writing with A.I. toward augmenting with A.I. Namely, we and cast/crew will create more of the framework of the characters and story and then we’ll use the robots to inject chaos and nonsense. We’ll get a video discussing this out soon.

Our next live stream will be the first ‘Writers Room’…

We will be joined by cast members to decide the background of their characters. The first of these streams will be on May 26 US time with Bryan Barry @ Pink Milk, who we’ve cast as SNOKE! The live stream and chat will be patrons only and the finished stream will then be switched to the public.

The channel is going “broad” again…

This means that we will create whatever we want, in any format that strikes us, whenever the inspiration comes. If we want to do an essay, we will. If we want to talk about a Star Wars game we’re playing, we will. The Banthaverse, Calrissian Chronicles, Dating Advice with Lando, and else we come up with, will live alongside random live streams, Shorts, Reels, TikToks, and anything else hairbrained we decide to do.

Production will also be democratised between the three of us. We will each be responsible for our own ideas, and take on publishing them when they’re ready.

What about Patreon and YouTube Memberships?

We’re going to simplify our offerings quite a bit. The top tier will be removed altogether because, frankly, we don’t think that it’s fair for us to take that much per month without delivering on it. Lower tiers will be simplified a little, too.

The goal here isn’t to make a ton of money, but to allow you to help us pay for software and expenses as they’re incurred because you like what we do. We’ll do what we can when we can, but we won’t continue on with this looming target of producing at quantities and levels that we just can’t manage with our personal lives being what they are.

That all being said, while things are changing on the channel and on socials, please bear with us in case we glitch anything.

And, as always, if you have any questions or comments or concerns, please reach out. We want to hear from you more than we do.

Love and blue milk,

The Blue Ones

[regencyrecyclingcorp]

4 Circumstances When Dumpster Rental Is A Smart Option

There are instances when you might need to consider a dumpster rental in Great Neck NY, like when you’re moving or when you finally decide to tackle that backyard decking project. Renting a dumpster is far more affordable than buying one for short-term needs. You can make use of them for as long as you desire before having them collected from your location.

You know it’s time to rent a dumpster when one of these common circumstances occurs:

You have enough mess:

You might have been saddled with the burden of spring cleaning. It’s possible that you are preparing for the coming winter. Maybe all that superfluous baggage has finally reached its limit for you. In any case, renting a dumpster could help create a more secure, enjoyable, and productive living atmosphere at home.

You’re completing a long-awaited home remodel:

You’ll end up with a lot of rubbish no matter what area you’re working on—the kitchen, the bathroom, or the sunroom at the back of the house.If you have children who enjoy playing in the backyard, you shouldn’t just throw everything there and hope it goes away. The safe disposal of surplus materials, such as discarded siding, tiles, cabinets, and packing, is made possible by renting a dumpster.

Landscaping Debris:

If your property doesn’t have a wooded area, you’ll need to locate another location to get rid of yard debris, such as broken branches, grass clippings, weeds, old mulch, and other garbage. Get a dumpster and place everything inside of it as opposed to making multiple trips to the dump.

Selling a house:

If you are looking to put your house for sale on the market, clearing the clutter is a necessity. When you can get rid of things, there’s no need to pay money to move unnecessary items. If you are a real estate agent and have clients who need to get rid of their waste, advise them to look for a Dumpster Rental Near Great Neck NY. Another scenario where renting a dumpster makes perfect sense is estate cleanouts.

Searching for a dumpster rental in Great Neck NY? If so, Regency Recycling Corporation is the only option. Every customer will have an amazing dumpster rental experience thanks to the dedication of our crew. To reserve a dumpster and see how much you may save when hiring one of our dumpsters, call us at (718) 525-7100 right away.

[elasticrhythms]

Get to know the Artists: Q&A With Canadian rising talent METAFLOOR on his latest EP ‘KRUMP JUKE’ OUT NOW on Elastic Rhythms ->

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:  METAFLOOR - Taking the global Footwork/Jungle & Bass Music scenes by storm is Calgary bread DJ and renown Producer: METAFLOOR. He's given us the gift that keeps on giving this Holiday Season with his latest EP 'Krump Juke', delivering a body of work of some bouncy, experimental and squeaky clean 160bpm+ club anthems that we've been waiting patiently to release on our Catalog since the late pandemic. Featuring a Stunning Remix from the highly esteemed Canadian duo GREAZUS (Owners & Operators of Aufect Recordings & Triple A Talent Agency) , this 4 Track EP has a bit of every flavor for everyone and so much more. We decided to ask him a few questions to get to know the man behind the music, and here’s what he had to say: _______________________________________________________________ Elastic Rhythms Artist Q&A: 1. What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?

I enjoy many different types of music. There's always a new type of sound that I want to explore, this always keeps things fresh and interesting myself and the listener. Usually, I'll see someone play or even hear a clip of something online and it energizes me to get into the studio. 2. What is the best advice that you have been given?

In my personal life and business, there's been a common phrase that's been coming up a lot lately that can be phrased in a few different ways. Some may know it as "giving is better than receiving, or Gray V would say "jab, jab, right hook", but the concept is the same, see what you can offer others instead of constantly asking for something, whether you're promoting your music, product or catching up with a friend, operate from a place of curiosity and this creates space for expansion. 3. What advice would you have given yourself 5 years ago?

(wise rave lizard appears in a misty haze from a whippet canister) " "Even though you're not in school anymore and it doesn't seem relevant, you still suffer from clinical ADHD and you should learn about how it affects your life now both creatively and in your personal life." 4. What is your favorite late-night studio snack?

candy, soda, nicotine. 5. What in your personal life has influenced you to choose your music career?

I remember very consciously choosing to be an artist, I can actually vivdly remember exactly where I was and what I was thinking. It was a very conscious decision. I was 21 years old and I knew I wasn't very good in school nor did I enjoy it, always had a hard time holding down a 9-5 and decided music was the way to go. It's honestly been a struggle but I know it's what I'm supposed to be doing. 6. How harshly do you critique your own work?

Not very much. Tracks are never really "finished", you can always do more and it's important to know when to put it down and walk away before you overwork it. Usually, your first idea was the best one, I find when I overwork a track, maybe spending over 2 weeks to flush it out I move on to something else and that track is 100 times better than what was struggling with prior. Having said that, recently I've had a few tracks that were hard to get over a 16-bar loop and I know the idea is great so I spend almost a month working on it and grinding away until it finished and when it's done its a really good feeling seeing it come together not by mysterious inspiration from the gods, (which I think can be a trap many artists fall into) but by just working hard and putting in the hours even if its not "fun". 7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Trash rat-making beats behind the grocery store. 8. How would you like to be remembered?

I've been hosting events now with my crew Sub Chakra, as well recently with my own weekly called "Pull Up", so it's a big part of my life when you include my own musical projects. It can get a little mundane sometimes being in a dark club every week, years down the road. Sometimes i question if i still wanna keep doing this but I try to remember all the people who express their appreciation at my nights and hope that at the end of the day i can look back i remember that i made a lot of people happy with the power of music, the lifelong friendships and memories that created, 9. if you had to live in a different country, which one would you choose?

I'd love to live somewhere else for a while but I'll always call Canada home, i love it here. 10. If you were our President, what would be the first thing you’d do?

love this question because I've brought it up many times it before to my peers. I WOULD MAKE ASMR VIDEOS ON TIKTOK PUNISHABLE BY DEATH. 11. Analog or Digital? and why?

IMO, It's when they both merge that the real magic happens. 12. If you could sit in on any production session, who would it be with? And why?

Alix Perez, man is quite low-key these days on his production techniques and I'd love to see him work. I admire his ability to make simple, yet effective tracks.

________________________________________________________________

THANK YOU METAFLOOR!  'KRUMP JUKE’ (EP) is available NOW on all streaming platforms worldwide here on Elastic Rhythms.

https://er.streamlink.to/KrumpJuke

Metafloor LINKS: @metafloor www.facebook.com/metafloor/ www.instagram.com/metafloor/?hl=en metafloor.bandcamp.com/music open.spotify.com/artist/5Q2x5IMMvZvFCldmNjWKro music.apple.com/us/artist/metafloor/900238060 ra.co/promoters/80843

[toomanyfandomnames]

ALL HAIL GODTISS

Ok so, I have no idea how I didn’t notice this before, but I haven’t seen it mentioned on Tumblr either:

YOU GUYS. THERE IS A BIG RED HEART RIGHT BETWEEN JOHN AND SHERLOCK, ABOVE THE FIREPLACE. A GIGANTIC. HEART.

Like, ok, it’s entirey possible that that heart was just already there in the place where they filmed this, but at the very least it means the production team chose to keep it there. Now it’s not just every person in the show calling John and Sherlock a couple, but even the inanimate objects in the room with them are in on it.

[itsallyscorner]

“Move the plans”

Pairing: Florence Pugh x actress!reader (platonic)

Summary: Florence tells you to cancel your plans when she ends up in New York.

Warnings: Nothing really bad. Mentions lactose intolerance? Idk if that’s sensitive to people. Probably some spelling errors.

A/n: Hello darlings! I’m back from my unannounced break. I decided to write a platonic Florence fic because she’s a sweetheart and I loved her as Yelena! Also for those who follow me, don’t worry, I will be working on a sequel to my Tom Holland “Sour” fic!! But for now, please enjoy this fic!😚💕

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(Loml)

✧───── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *. ☽.* :★. ─────✧

You stood backstage in front of a mirror, looking at your appearance and making sure there were no wrinkles on the dress you wore. Your hairstylist was behind you, fluffing your hair and managing the stray baby hairs on your head. You were currently at NBC Studios in New York City, about to do an interview with the infamous, Jimmy Fallon. Tingles buzzed through your skin as you heard the cheers and music from the stage. Jimmy’s voice can be heard faintly backstage, only adding to your growing excitement.

The sound of heels clicking approached you, it took less than a second for you to feel the warm presence of Florence behind you. The both of you were starring in the upcoming Black Widow movie alongside Scarlett Johansson; after months of working together and spending days hanging out, you and Florence had become very close friends. She was, without a doubt, your favorite person in the world. Since the moment you met her, she had always been the most sweetest and caring person you’ve ever met—and you were proud to say you had her in your corner.

You met Flo’s eyes in the mirror and bright smiles were instantly on your faces. Turning around, you open your arms wide, and wrap them around her. Bear hugs were a must in your friendship with Flo, you both just loved receiving hugs from each other.

“Ahhh! I told you that dress would be perfect for tonight, you look stunning!” She squealed, tightening her arms around you. A day before Jimmy Fallon, you and Flo had been at your place with your stylist, picking out which dress you should wear for the interview. The dress was casual, but the color was so ever vibrant that it made the dress pop.

You pulled out the hug and looked at what she was wearing. Her gorgeous blonde hair was curled into loose locks and her dress was just as vibrant as yours. The pink of her dress and the orange (yellowish?) of yours complimented each other. Which coincidentally enough, was a parallel of your lovely friendship with Florence.

“Me? Flo, you look gorgeous! I’m so obsessed with this look!” You help her twirl, hyping her up as she showed off her outfit. After sneaking in a little mirror selfie and posting it onto Instagram, the two of you were given a five minute warning from one of the crew members. You and Flo were moved to stand behind the curtain, waiting for your cues to walk onto the stage.

While the two of you were getting mic’d up, Florence leaned closer to you.

“Can I be completely honest with you?” She mumbled, her stare remaining on the curtain before her. Your brow raises in curiosity as your head slightly turns to look at her.

“Of course, hun. What’s up?” You ask, your attention on her. She sighs and leans even closer so only you can hear her.

“I feel like I’m about to shit my pants.” She admits, swallowing nervously. Your mouth gapes, “Did you have iced coffee too?”

Flo’s face scrunches up in confusion, “N-no! That was me telling you I was nervous! Did you have iced coffee?” She fully turns to look at you and judging by the look of guilt plastered across your face, you did in fact have iced coffee.

“Maybe?” You answer, though it came out more like a question. Florence rolls her eyes at you.

“(Y/n), how many times do you have to be reminded that you’re lactose intolerant?” She scolded you.

You scoff, holding a hand up at her, “Trust me, I’m reminded every time I sit on a toilet.” You shake your head, trying to refocus the conversation.

“This isn’t about my poor digestive system—why are you nervous?”

She sighs, “I don’t know why I’m so nervous, I’m used to doing interviews and stuff. But I haven’t been on Jimmy Fallon, and there’s an audience out there and I don’t want to mess up or accidentally spoil the movie.”

You place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “You may be British, but you’re not Tom Holland. You won’t spoil anything.” You start. She quickly shoots you a look that screams, “you’re not helping”. You make a gesture physically telling her that you’re getting to the point.

“You’re going to be fine! I mean you did Jimmy Kimmel right? This shouldn’t be that different, it’s the same thing—just different studios, in different states, and different Jimmy’s.” You point out. She nods along as you continue, “Plus, I’m gonna be up there with you. You won’t be alone.”

With the help of your reassurance and witty little comments, Florence felt her anxiousness simmer down. They weren’t completely gone but the fact that you were gonna be up there together made her relax more. Being part of Marvel had its pros and cons. Sure, the movies are spectacular and the actors are outstanding. Though when it comes to doing promo for said movies, it can be quite stressful. It’s a known fact that Marvel and it’s executives can be quite strict when it comes to interviews with anyone involved in the making of their films—their strictness made sense, although for first time MCU members, it took some getting used to.

Florence smiles at you, “Thank you.”

You playfully nudge her shoulder with yours, “Don’t worry about it.” You say with a kind smile.

The wholesome moment was interrupted by one of the stagehands telling you and Florence that the two of you were on in 15 seconds.

“Our guests tonight are making their big MCU debut in the new Black Widow film, please welcome (Y/n) (L/n) and Florence Pugh!”

⚘

“So in the movie, there’s three of you guys—where’s the other one?” Jimmy asked, motioning his hand to the small space between you and Flo.

“She’s at home I believe.” Florence answered, glancing at you. “She’s busy doing stuff, you know—adult things.” She added.

You took the opportunity to make a joke and said, “Yet here we are promoting her movie.” You roll your eyes playfully. The crowd bursts out laughing, along with Jimmy, who smacked his desk.

“You know, we deserve a raise for this.” Flo considers, going along with your joke. She slightly snorts and nudges your arm with her elbow. “We could take Scarlett’s check and just split it in half for ourselves.”

“Problem solved.” You shrugged, high fiving her.

Another round of laughs fill the room as Jimmy says, “So you’re both taking Scarlett’s money?”

Jokingly, you nod in approval, “By the end of this interview? Definitely.”

Dropping the bit, you shake your head with a grin on your face. “I’m kidding! I’m only joking, I wouldn’t do that to her, even if I were forced to.”

Jimmy moves on as a picture of you, Florence, and Scarlett pops up on the screen. The picture had been posted on your Instagram and was taken while the three of you were filming in between takes. You were taking the selfie while Scarlett and Florence were poking their heads out from behind you making funny faces.

“I can’t imagine how exciting it is to be on a Marvel set, and to even work with one of the first ever heroes in the MCU—that must be insane!” Jimmy exclaims, motioning to another picture of the three of you.

“It’s unbelievable. To work alongside Scarlett and to follow this kind of path that she’s paved in the MCU is an honor. She really was like our older sister behind the scenes, because she was always guiding us and taking care of everyone. She’s the best.” Florence responded while you nodded in agreement.

“I watched the movie last night and one of the things I enjoyed the most was the dynamic the three of you had. You guys were like actual siblings.” Jimmy mentioned, motioning between you and Flo.

Florence giggled before squeezing you into a tight hug, “Yeah, she’s my big sister.” You smiled beamingly, patting her cheek before she let go.

“No, really! She’s like my actual younger sister.” You tell the audience, who “awed” at the hug you both shared. “We spent months on this movie and we spent every single day with each other. By the middle of production, we were basically roommates.”

“Roommates?” Jimmy questioned, leaning his elbows on his desk.

“Because I was always at her house.” Florence answered in a ‘duh’ tone. “I’ve actually grown an attachment to (Y/n), she’s like my comfort blanket. So I need to have her with me at all times. If she’s not with me, I just won’t leave the house.”

“Speaking of your attachment to (Y/n), there’s this video of you that you apparently sent her?” Jimmy gestured at you, “And you posted it on your Instagram and now the whole internet is obsessed with it.”

“Yup, that’s the one.” You confirmed.

“I know there’s probably some people who haven’t seen it, so here’s the video.” The video of Florence popped up on the screen and began to play.

(This fic was based on this TikTok😭)

Jimmy looked at you and Florence in amusement, “Can we get some context?”

Florence waved her hand at the screen and said, “As you can all see, I’m very persistent.”

“This wasn’t your first time sending her these kinds of videos?” Jimmy asked. You shook your head, a feign look of annoyance on your face.

“No, she does this all the time.”

“In my defense, I was unexpectedly flying out to New York for a project. I knew I was gonna be in the city for a few days, so I decided to call (Y/n) and make the most of my trip.” Flo defended herself, slightly pouting.

You leaned your head on her shoulder, “To be fair, it was also our first time seeing each other since we wrapped Black Widow, and we really missed each other.”

“(Y/n), did you have to move any plans?” Jimmy turns to you. Florence does the same.

“You know what, you never told me if you had plans or not.” She squints her eyes at you. Your arms crossed while your body slowly sunk into the couch.

You pretend to fix your lipstick, quickly muttering, “I might’ve moved some plans around.”

Florence’s mouth gapes in shock, her entire body freezing. She grips onto your shoulder, “Wait, you actually moved plans for me?”

“I might’ve rescheduled a lunch with someone, but that doesn’t really matter.” You replied, trying to move on from the topic. Jimmy pointed at you, a giant grin on his face, “You actually moved plans for Florence!”

Florence’s mouth was still wide in shock, “I can’t believe you actually moved plans for me—(Y/n)!” She whined.

“I missed seeing you, so of course I had to move them.” You bashfully explained, the corners of your lips turning upwards. Florence pulled you into a hug.

“Gosh, you really do love me!” She exclaimed.

“I really do!” You said, your arms wrapping around her as well.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

🏷 Tags:

*if there’s a line through your url, Tumblr won’t let me tag you :(*

Marvel cast/Avengers x reader tags ↴

↪︎ @ximaginx @lozzypoz321 @sunwardsss @pokemonbong @pjokotlcmarvel201 @whoslili @marvel-is-a-mood @blckyungblood @astroponyo @universemarvel @imthebadguyyy @roseke @this-is-gg @httpscarletwitch @msminutes @cristin-rjd @swords-are-cool @melaninfalconbucky @deamus-liv @elvish-sky @catsandbooksandstuff @ellajoy419 @moonlight-babe99 @teti-menchon0604 @bestillmystuckyheart @captainwans @mischiefmanaged144 @marvelfan2300 @hello-yoi

General tags (besties) ↴

↪︎ @bucksmotel @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @agustdowney @thegirlwiththediary @rqmanoff @sesamepancakes @stardustofreading @alyssathesoftie @ifyouknewhowmiserylovedme @kaitieskidmore1 @6r4cie @bi-lmg07 @pogueslandia

[putschki1969]

Hikaru’s 1st Stage Play 「GOOD LUCK YOUR MEMORIES：Re」  First Reaction

OH MY GOD! This was surprisingly good (and heart-wrenching)! I really love the premise of this story. After watching it once I am still a little confused about a few details but I’m pretty sure I understood 90% of it. The production is simple but very effective and they did a great job recording the whole thing. I was worried it would be mostly bad audio, a ton of shaky cam and wide shots where you could barely make out anything. Super glad to have been proven wrong. And let me tell you, Hikaru’s acting is top-notch, I am so impressed. I mean, I had utmost faith in my queen of drama but I couldn’t quite envision how it would turn out. Her role isn’t too challenging I suppose but she does have a few big scenes which she absolutely nails! Her final scene with Takuma and Yui is utterly heartbreaking, Hikaru literally made me cry.

On a random side note, I cannot believe we are getting some full-on yuri action here🤩🤗. I think it was Hikaru’s manager who said that this isn’t really yuri despite what it may look like but you know what they say, if it walks like a duck...😂 For anyone who is getting their panties in a twist due to the implied inc*est, don’t worry, they aren’t really sisters.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

GAIA Crew’s stage play 「GOOD LUCK YOUR MEMORIES：Re」starring Hikaru as one of the key characters is currently being broadcast on Confetti Streaming Theater!

[Viewing method] You need to register a Confetti account for free before you can purchase a streaming ticket. A Japanese address is required in the registration form but I think you can just use something random. I was able to buy a ticket with my overseas credit card. I went for the “A Team” version because I wanted to save some money. I doubt Hikaru’s performance will be much different in the other version and it’s not like I have any favourite actors in A or B team XD After having purchased a ticket, please access the “viewing URL” (A Team | B Team | A&B Team) on the ticket page during the streaming period and log in with your Confetti member ID and password. You can enjoy the stream during the limited period. Not sure how much you will be supporting Hikaru herself by buying a ticket but I’d like to emphasise the importance of showing the creators that there is a demand for streams like this. If you have the means, be sure to get a ticket!! This way, we can hopefully ensure that there will be a broadcast for Hikaru’s 2nd stage play as well.

Streaming period   2022/6/4 19:00 ～ 6/11 23:59

Streaming platform                 Confetti Streaming Theater

Streaming ticket prices                 A Team 3,000円 B Team 3,000円 A&B Team 6,000円

Ticket sales period 2022/5/28 18:00 ～ 6/11 19:59

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Detailed Summary (beware of spoilers): “I will surely return to collect my reward - your memories!” Takuma - a run-of-the-mill private investigator, Seiji - a nerdy officer of an anti crime unit and Kosuke - a wannabe gangster. Three men that have been close friends since their school days. Despite their conflicting professions, they promised they would never interfere with each other’s work and have thus remained close. This changes when a mysterious woman named Shizuku (=Hikaru) suddenly appears on the scene. Wanting to escape her current life, Shizuku has chosen to run away but she is being chased by her older sister Itsuki. The men step in to help her and decide to take her under their wing. For the first time in her life, she experiences friendship and kindness, especially during her interactions with Takuma’s assistant Yui. After a while, the three friends find out about Shizuku’s special abilities. Everyone who enters a contract with her may go back in time to change a moment they regret. Initially, the men do not believe her story but when both Kosuke and Seiji find themselves in a predicament, they are willing to make a pact with Shizuku. Her powers turn out to be in fact genuine and both men manage to change a past event in their favour. However, in the wake of doing so, they are unknowingly breaking the rule of never interfering with each other’s work. Soon they become top dog in their respective professions. Eventually, Takuma learns that the price of using Shizuku’s ability is a gradual memory loss. Not only that, their existence also starts disappearing from loved ones’ memories. Basically, the course of history is changed. The only one who remains mysteriously unaffected by all of this is Takuma. As memories are lost, personality slowly changes and humanity is stripped away, the two men become corrupted. This results in a lethal showdown between the yakuza and the anti-crime-force that threatens to destroy the entire city. As Takuma watches the drama unfold he wants to protect his friends, discover the secrets behind Shizuku’s abilities and reveal the true motives of the mysterious Itsuki. Alas, he is powerless in the face of organised crime and ultimately cannot stop his former friends from killing each other and taking several people with them. Shizuku is heartbroken to witness how her actions have indirectly caused so much pain and death.She feels like she has no other choice but to kill her sister Itsuki in order to put a stop to this endless suffering. However, before Shizuku can finish the deed, Itsuki manages to fatally wound her younger sister. With her final breath, Shizuku makes a pact with Takuma. Lives are restored, the trajectories of Seiji’s and Kosuke’s careers are completely changed leading to a happy and fruitful life for both of them. The price that needs to be paid - the erasure of Takuma’s existence from people’s minds. Takuma being an anomaly, is able to keep his memories but he is now living together with Shizuku in another dimension where they have been forgotten by everyone they have come to love. Only small traces of memory remain...

[simplee-dreaming]

The Runner (Part 2)

(Part 1 here)

A/N: THIS IS MY 50TH FIC WTF!! Ngl I'm not so confident about this one but that's just my anxiety being a demon. I hope you all like it.

Word count: 3823

Summary: With Darren being on the warpath, Chris takes great care of the reader...along with some friends.

-----------------------------------------

The next day you walked into work with a big smile on your face. Last night you shared food with Chris Evans, watched a film with Chris Evans, got into a tickle fight with Chris Evans and ended up being cuddled by Chris Evans. You were certainly on cloud nine right now.

“Black coffee for Mr Evans please! Black coffee!” a call came over the radio. You strode into the kitchen to make it but found another runner already on the case.

“Nevermind,” you thought to yourself. There’s no way you were gonna go the whole of today without seeing him anyway.

You turned on your heel to leave but walked straight into Darren.

“Oh, um, sorry, I-I didn’t see you there,” you stuttered.

“Watch where you’re going,” he said, sternly.

“Sorry,” you repeated.

“There’s a mess on the set, you need to clean it up before the next scene begins shooting,” he demanded. You looked at him.

“But, I’m not a cleaner?” You said, puzzled.

“You were perfectly happy to clean the set a few weeks back,” he said.

“Well yeah but-”

“No excuses, clean up that mess now,” he interrupted, marching out of the kitchen. You sighed but decided not to argue.

You went onto the set and helped the cleaners with the mess.

A few hours had passed and you were sitting on set filling out an accident form. Apparently, Sebastian Stan had slipped on set whilst filming and managed to cut his hand. Only a tiny cut, but any accident has to be filed. Unfortunately, you didn’t get to sit with Seb and fill it out but was given the details by his assistant, Jane.

You got up and walked into the set office, where all the paperwork was kept, and filed away the accident form. When you walked back onto the set, Darren was standing there staring at you. He lifted up his hand and ordered you to go over to him. You slowly walked over and stood in front of him.

“So what exactly did you do to clean the set earlier today?” He asked.

“I...I swept up the debris. I just cleared the mess,” you replied.

“You cleaned the floor, didn’t you?”

“I cleared it yeah but I-”

“You cleaned the floor and left it in a slippery state. No wonder Mr Stan slipped over,”

“No, but, I..I just cleared it! I never-”

“He could have broken a bone,”

“I didn’t clean it, I only swept!” You protested. Darren grunted at you and walked off, leaving you feeling deflated.

The rest of the day you were silent. You didn’t dare speak to anyone in case they thought the same as Darren. When your lunch break finally came around, you walked outside to the back of the studios and sat in a quiet corner where all you could hear was the wind sweeping through the trees and the birds singing. You finished your lunch in silence, a single tear escaping from your eye.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you all day!” said a familiar voice. You looked up to see Chris walking towards you. A smile involuntarily grew on your lips.

“Oh, hey!” You said, quickly wiping away the tear.

“What’s wrong? Have you been crying?” He asked, sitting on the bench next to you.

“No. No, I’m fine,” you replied.

“You have been crying. What’s the matter?”

“I’m fine,”

“No you’re not,”

“Yes I am, I promise. I’m fine,” you said, a little too quickly. Chris gently put his hand on top of yours.

“What’s happened?” He asked, softly. You looked at him, then looked down and burst into tears. He pulled you in for a tight cuddle.

“It’s all my fault,” you sobbed into his chest.

“What is?” he asked.

“Seb. I made Seb slip. He’s hurt because of me,” you cried.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Chris asked, rubbing your arm.

“I cleaned the set earlier, I must’ve put something down because Seb slipped and cut himself and it’s my fault,”

“Seb didn’t slip?” Chris said, confused.

“What?”

“Seb didn’t slip, he tripped and fell over. That’s how he cut his hand, he grabbed onto a bit of the set for support and caught a sharp edge. He never slipped,” Chris said. You looked up at him.

“So...so it wasn’t me?” You asked.

“Of course not, he’s just a clumsy idiot. The floor wasn’t slippery at all. Plus, he’s fine. Just got a big boy plaster on,” he chuckled.

“But...but Darren said-”

“What did Darren say?” Chris asked, more seriously.

“Darren said Seb slipped. And that it was my fault because I cleaned the set earlier but I didn’t remember actually putting any product down to clean and I thought I only swept the set which it seems is all I did and-”

“Whoa whoa whoa, breathe. Darren told you this was your fault?” Chris asked. You nodded.

“Right, I’m going to talk to him,” Chris said, standing up.

“No no please, he already hates me. If you say something then he’ll know I told on him and he’ll be even worse,” you begged.

“Y/N, he cannot treat you like this,”

“It’s fine, I can handle it,” you lied.

“He made you cry, Y/N. That is not okay. I’m going to speak to him,” Chris said. He walked off and you ran after him. When you turned the corner, you both ran straight into Seb.

“Whoa Speedy Gonzales, slow down!” Seb said, catching you as you tripped over Chris’ foot.

“S-sorry,” you said. You looked up and suddenly registered who was in front of you.

“Oh god. Oh I’m so sorry, Mr Stan, I didn’t mean to-”

“Y/N, calm down, it’s okay,” Chris said, placing a hand on your shoulder. You looked up at him and took a few deep breaths.

“Ohh so you’re Y/N. Chris has been telling me all about you, it’s nice to put a face to a name,” Seb said, smiling at you. You gave a shaky smile back. He looked at Chris.

“Where are you off to?”

“Going to see my assistant,” Chris said, sternly.

“Ah yes, ‘Divine Darren’,” Seb said, sarcastically. “More like Distasteful Darren.”

“Well, quite. He’s been so unpleasant to Y/N, so I’m going to talk to him,” Chris said, he sounded very angry.

“Chris please, it will only make things worse,” you begged. Seb looked at your worried face and looked back at Chris.

“I think she’s right, Chris. At least wait a little bit until you’re calmer. Then I’ll come and back you up,” Seb said. Chris let out a sigh then looked at you. His face softened.

“Okay. But he’s not going to get away with this,” Chris said. You breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good lad,” Seb said, patting Chris’ shoulder. He then turned to you.

“So, you’re the reason our Chris was so chirpy this morning, eh?” He said. You blushed.

“W-well...I...um…” you stammered. What had Chris told Seb?

“Seb…” Chris warned.

“What? I’ve gotta be polite to your new tickle attacker!” Seb said.

“SEB!” Chris cried.

“Chris told me you used his weakness against him last night. Nice to have you on board Y/N,” Seb winked at you. You let out a nervous giggle, praying that Chris didn’t tell Seb that you shared the same weakness.

“Although, it seems you may struggle more. We can’t have someone who is equally as ticklish on the front line until he’s not strong enough to retaliate,” Seb said. He winked at you again and smirked.

Fuck. He knew.

“Anyway, gotta get ready for my next scene. Catch you both later,” Seb waved goodbye and walked off.

You turned to Chris and punched him in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?!” He exclaimed.

“You told him?” You asked.

“Ohh...yeah...yeah I did,” he said, giggling. You punched him again.

“Ow! Okay, okay, I’m sorry! I just had a great night last night and couldn’t keep my mouth shut,” he said. You couldn’t help but smile.

“So did I,” you replied. He chuckled and pulled you in for a hug. You relaxed in his arms until he squeezed your side.

“Hey!” You yelped.

“That was for punching me,” he said.

You sighed and walked back into the studios with him, ready to get back to work.

The day finally came to a close. Scenes were wrapping up shooting and members of the crew were packing up to go home. You had purposefully been avoiding Darren all day, terrified of what he may try and do next.

Chris has invited you to his caravan again for another movie night, so you decided to quickly clean up the kitchen area before you clocked out. You took the half-filled jug of coffee out of its hold and turned to pour it down the sink. But, as you turned, someone knocked into the back of you and you dropped the jug which smashed all over the floor.

“What the hell are you playing at?!” Yelled Darren from behind you. You swiftly turned around.

No words came out of your mouth, just incoherent babbling.

“Look at what you’ve done! You’ve smashed the bloody jug you blundering idiot!” He yelled. You took a step backwards and slipped slightly on the spilt coffee, you held the kitchen side for support as tears leaked down your face.

“I-I didn’t mean….I never meant to...it was an accident!” You cried.

“You did that on purpose. You’ve been messing about ever since you started here. Have you any idea the damage you’ve caused?!”

You burst into tears, frightened of the man standing before you.

“Hey hey, back off!” A voice said behind Darren. He turned around slightly and there stood Scarlett and Lizzie, both with their arms folded.

“Did you see what she did? She broke the coffee jug!” Darren exclaimed, gesturing at you.

“Then buy another one,” Scarlett said, shrugging.

“Better yet, buy another one secretly and we won’t tell anyone that you purposely fell into her,” Lizzie said.

“What? I never fell into her! Stupid girl tripped over,” he said, a wobble in his voice. Both women titled their heads and raised their eyebrows at the same time.

“She dropped it all by herself! She’s caused nothing but havoc since she started,” he tried to explain but the girls were having none of it.

“Grrr. Out of my way,” Darren huffed. He pushed past Scarlett and Lizzie and marched off.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lizzie asked, approaching you. You shook your head and burst into tears. Lizzie drew you in for a hug.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Scarlett asked.

“Y/N,” you responded, quietly.

“Oh goodness, you’re Y/N! Chris has mentioned you a few times today. He’s waiting for you, we'll take you to him,” said Lizzie.

“B-but the mess…” you stammered.

“Leave it, we’ll clean it up,” Scarlett said.

She and Lizzie each put an arm around you and guided you away from the kitchen. Chris was standing at the back of the studios, near the caravan park. His posture straightened up when he saw you, but his face grew more concerned as you approached.

“Oh my god, are you okay Y/N? What happened?” He asked. Scarlett looked at him and raised one eyebrow.

“No. No no. This wasn’t Darren again was it?!” He said, his voice getting louder. “Where is he? I’ll kill him!”

“Chris, he’s probably gone home by now,” Lizzie said. He put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

“That little….he has no right treating you like his,” he said. You tilted your head down. He drew in a deep breath and took you from Scar and Lizzie, wrapping you in a hug.

“It’s okay, you’re safe now,” he said, stroking your hair. You cried into his shoulders and hugged him tightly.

“Tell you what, Seb’s using the green room to relax in for a bit this evening. Shall we go and join him?” He asked.

“Will he mind?” You replied, lifting your head slightly.

“Not at all! We could have a group film night if you’re both up for it too?” Chris asked. Scarlett and Lizzie nodded. Chris put his arm around you and all four of you walked to the green room.

“Knock knock,” said Chris, entering the room. Seb was sat on the sofa, scrolling through Netflix.

“Hey man, how’s it going?” Seb asked, turning to greet you all. “Ooh more guests, this is exciting. What’s the occasion?”

“Another incident happened. We thought we could join you and watch a movie together?” Chris said.

“Why of course! The more the merrier!” Seb said. He shuffled up a bit on the sofa and Chris placed you between himself and Seb.

“I’m gonna go grab some food. Do you two mind helping me?” Chris said, gesturing at Lizzie and Scarlett. They both followed him out and into the kitchen area. Coffee and bits of jug were still splattered on the floor so Lizzie bent down to start cleaning it up.

“What happened?” Chris asked.

“Y/N was cleaning this area. She went to wash out the coffee jug and Darren purposely bumped into her so she dropped the jug and he had a proper go at her. She was terrified,” Scar informed him. He hung his head.

“I can’t let him get away with treating her like that,” he responded.

“Well, what are you gonna do?” Lizzie asked, sweeping the floor.

“I don’t know yet. But he’s not getting away lightly,” Chris said. “Do you think she’s okay?”

“I don’t know. I think she’s just putting on a brave face,” Scarlett said.

Chris, Scarlett and Lizzie finished cleaning the kitchen and grabbed some bags of popcorn to take back to the room. When they returned, they found you leaning forwards with your head in your hands and Seb rubbing your back.

“What’s happened??” Chris asked. He put down the popcorn and sat next to you, putting his arm around you.

“She keeps saying everything that happened today is her fault. I’ve told her it isn’t but she’s pretty shook up,” Seb whispered softly.

“Oh Y/N. Nothing that has happened is your fault! We’ve been through this my lovely,” Chris said, gently.

“I shouldn’t be here,” you mumbled.

“What? Chris said.

“I shouldn’t be here,” you said, standing up from the sofa and heading for the door. Chris grabbed your arm.

“Whoa whoa whoa, steady on. Where are you going?”

“Darren was right. I have no right being here. I’m just a runner.”

Another tear fell down your face and Chris’ heart broke.

“Y/N, listen to me. Yes, you are a runner but that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be here. Runners are an important asset to the studios, how else would I get my coffee?! Besides, you’re not just a runner. You’re incredible. You’re the first non-celebrity that hasn’t treated me like royalty and it’s a breath of fresh air,” Chris said. You looked up at him.

“Really?”

“Yes really! Don’t want you bowing down to kiss my feet, they’re not that great,” he said. You gave a shy giggle.

“Come here,” he said, pulling you in for a cuddle. You happily accepted and relaxed slightly in his arms.

“Now then you, we’re gonna have a great movie night, yes?” He asked, you nodded. “Good, but I want you to be happy before we start. Where’s that smile?”

He had a hint of playfulness in his voice. You knew what was coming but didn’t want to fight it, so you buried your head further into his chest.

“Come on...where is it?” He teased. He started poking up and down your sides and you squirmed.

You murmured a giggle into his chest as he continued to poke you.

“Where’s that smile?” He teased. You giggled louder as the pokes turned into squeezes.

“Chrihihihis!” You squealed, trying to twist out of his grip.

“Where are you going?” He asked, bending his head slightly to look at you. His hands squeezed your sides and tickled your ribs, making you squeal. You put your hands on Chris’ stomach to push him away but decided to tickle his tummy instead.

“Hehey!” He yelped, stepping backwards and releasing you from his grip. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

“So that’s how you wanna play…” he said. The playful tone in his voice made you giggle but also kicked in the instinct to turn on your heel and run.

Bad move.

Chris lunged at you, as you turned, and picked you up - spinning you in the air before lying you flat on the sofa. You shrieked.

“No Chris!” You pleaded as he sat next to you, trapping you between him and the back of the sofa. He cackled evilly and started squeezing your sides again. You shrieked and kicked your legs out.

Seb, Lizzie and Scar all shared a smile as they watched Chris tease you.

“Show me that smile,” he teased once more. You were going bright red in the face and tried to bat his hands away, but you couldn’t stop giggling.

“Hey Chris, I think it may be in here,” Seb said. Before you realised what was about to happen, Seb had placed his fingers in the crook of your neck and started wiggling them.

“WAIHIHIHIT! You cried, not expecting Sebastian Stan to join in. You scrunched up your shoulders, trapping his hands in your neck, and shrieked.

“Wow, Chris, you’re right. She’s super ticklish!” He teased. Your face turned ruby red as you twisted and turned on the sofa.

“NOHO I’M NOHOHOT!” You cried.

“Oh yes you are,” Seb said. His hands trailed down to underneath you and started tickling your shoulder blades. The noise you made was different to any other you had ever made before.

“Whoa, I think you found a bad spot,” Chris laughed. He started squeezing and spider tickling your tummy and you let out a scream. You kicked your legs frantically as your arms waved around trying to stop the attacks.

“Girls, we need your help!” Seb said. Scarlett and Lizzie looked at each other and laughed. Scarlett got up and approached you.

She positioned herself next to Chris and gently fluttered her fingers over your kicking feet. No one had you pinned so you were free to twist and kick as much as you liked, but as soon as you twisted from one pair of hands you fell right into another.

“Does this tickle Y/N? Does it? Tickle tickle tickle!” Chris teased, now spider tickling your waistline.

“STOHOHOHP SAHAHAYING THAT!” You cried.

“Oh but you’re so fun to tease!” Chris said, laughing evilly.

Lizzie looked over at Chris and narrowed her eyes. Then, a thought hit her. She slowly crept up behind Chris before lunging at him, sitting on top of him so he was pinned to the floor. She wasted no time in shoving her hands under his armpits and wiggling her fingers.

“WHAHAHAT THE HEHEHELL?! AHAHAHAHA!” Chris yelled, taken aback by the sudden attack.

Seb and Scarlett instantly stopped tickling you so you could all watch the action unfold.

“Does this tickle Chris? Does it? Tickle tickle tickle!” She cooed, repeating his own teases. He thrashed below her and boomed out a laugh. You started giggling too.

“I’ve got him, Y/N. Come and get your own back,” she said, turning her head to wink at you. You jumped off the sofa and basically slid over to him.

“Do any of you know his worst spot?” You asked.

“His ears. Get the spot just behind the right one and flutter your fingers over the top of his left one and you’ll have him a babbling mess below you,” Seb said...a little too quickly.

You grinned at him. Lizzie stopped tickling but kept her hands positioned under his arms. You followed Seb’s instructions and, before you knew it, Chris was a babbling mess on the floor. A mix of squeals, giggles and high pitched laughs came out of him as he twisted his head from side to side. Every time he tried to lift his arms to stop you, Lizzie would tickle his armpits and he’d slam them back down again.

“Cootchie cootchie coo, Chris…” you teased. Your heart did somersaults at the sound of his precious laugh.

All of a sudden, Chris let out a booming laugh and jolted his body. You looked up and found Seb trapping one of Chris’ feet with one hand and using the other to scrape up and down his sole. Seb looked at you.

“His feet are his second worst,” he informed you.

You and Lizzie were too distracted by Seb tickling Chris’ foot that neither of you noticed him lifting up his arms. Because you were sitting right next to him, he managed to grab you and pull you over his torso. He held you close to him as his hand trailed up and down your back and sides. You shrieked loudly and bucked your body.

“CHRIHIHIHIS NOHOHOHO!” You cried.

Seb stopped tickling Chris and instead made a lunge for your foot, trapping it in the same way and raking his fingers up and down it. You burst into a loud laughter.

“Oh dear, we really are trapped now aren’t we?” Scarlett teased. She shoved her hands between you and Chris and started tickling both your tummies at the same time. You both shrieked loudly. Lizzie giggled and decided to join Chris in tickling your sides and back. Chris was giggling below you but you were screaming and shrieking before falling into a silent laughter. You hid your face in Chris’ torso and jolted your whole body. They all took this as the sign to stop.

You lay on top of Chris, getting your breath back. He was still giggling which made you giggle more.

“You okay?” He asked, now stroking your hair. You nodded and placed your head on his chest.

“You passed the initiation,” Seb said. You lifted your head and looked at him, brows furrowed.

“What?” You asked.

“You passed the initiation. You got through our torture without murdering us,” he laughed. You got off of Chris and sat on the floor, still giggling. Chris sat up too.

“You’re officially one of us now. That will never change,” he said, pulling you in for a cuddle. “And tomorrow, I promise, I will sort out this mess. Darren will never treat you so badly again, I promise.”

“Just don’t ever clean the set again,” Seb teased. You scoffed and playfully punched him, making him laugh.

Seb, Scarlett and Lizzie shuffled forward and all four cast members engulfed you in a massive hug. You felt so safe and secure, all of your worries left you for that evening.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[maxwell-grant]

Jumping off from my previous question/suggestion, might I please ask if there are any superheroes you think would make fine Pulp Villains and any Supervillains you think would make convincing Pulp Heroes?

I'm gonna go ahead and remark that I'd personally suggest to anyone who's trying to create pulp characters inspired by superheroes (which would be probably about 90% of you who may want to do that sort of thing) to flip the script around a little. As in, don't try to create pulp analogues to the Justice League/Avengers upfront, but play around with some of the lesser-known icons and filter those through your idea of what “pulp” means (which is gonna be quite different than my own or anyone else’s). 

I’m not gonna really mention characters I’ve already talked about before like Vandal Savage or Namor, instead I’ll pick new ones and see what can be highlighted about them.

Regarding “Superheroes who could make fine/convincing Pulp Villains”, even though he’s a character I've read basically nothing on, Martian Manhunter definitely leaped out to me as an obvious option. He’s a Sci-Fi Superman who takes the first half of the name to an extreme that borders on comical, except he’s not a square-jawed white man, he’s a 1.000 year old green alien from Mars with shapeshifting powers who can look as monstrous as the artist desires. He’s the product of an advanced civilization and genetic modification, and on top of the Flying Brick powerset and shapeshifting, he also has incredibly powerful and extensive telepathic abilities, he can become invisible, phaze through matter, use telekinesis and other weird abilities. A lot of pulp stories closer to sci-fi were based around the idea of taking one of these abilities and extrapolating horrific consequences for them, and J’onn has those by the dozens. He also has an extremely mundane weakness that would allow him to be beaten by Macready with a blowtorch if that’s where the story ended.

He was also a law enforcement officer from Mars who became a police detective and it’s even right there in his name, and again, I have never read anything he’s in (I should probably pick the Orlando mini), I know he’s for all intents and purposes a generally nice man who tends to job a lot in crossovers and cartoons, but the idea of taking all those great vast and horrifying alien powers, combining all of them into a single character who also happens to be the last survivor of a doomed planet (and one who actually lived through it’s collapse), and then making that character a former cop trying to resume his work on Earth? 

That is a Pulp Supervillain begging to happen, and a particularly horrifying one at that. And hey, speaking of The Thing-

Now, Plastic Man’s potential for horror has already been explored quite a bit in some of the darker DC continuities like Injustice and DCeased, and it’s quite funny seeing a lot of these turn Plastic Man into The Thing because there were quite a handful of Wold Newton pages that ran with the idea that Macready from the original story was Doc Savage, and that the secret chemicals that Eel O’Brian was hit by that gave him his powers were actually samples of The Thing contained in one of Savage’s labs. Regardless, the idea of a former street crook suddenly gaining bizarre shapeshifting abilities that allow him to reign terror on his gangster associates could make for a great premise as a pulp crime story that veers into horror as the gangsters gradually figure out what is Eel O’Brian’s deal, and then the story can take a more tragic turn.

The thing about Jack Cole’s Plastic Man that modern takes on the character neglect is that, while Plas was a lively roguish anti-hero (arguably the first of it’s kind in comics), he’s still for intents and purposes “the straight man” (HA, right, Plastic Man being “straight”). He’s the relatively sane hero who plays off Woozy’s wackier misadventures and the imaginative madness that Jack Cole paints his adventures with, and it makes for an interesting contrast considering Plastic Man is already a weird character, having to ramp up the strangeness of the world around him so that he still remains the sane man. There are ways to twist this into something quite horrifying, even tragic for Plastic Man as he either struggles to maintain coherency, or embraces the shifting chaos the world’s spiraling into for better or worse (and definitely for the worse towards those on the receiving end of his vengeance, or even his humor).

Now, onto the flipside, regarding Supervillains that could become Pulp Heroes -

Normally I’d not mention the Batman villains here, because I already have a lot to talk about in regards to them as is, they comprise some of my favorite comic characters, but I pretty much have to make an exception for Two-Face in this topic, as not only a pretty obvious option but one with even case studies to prove it, as not only do we have The Black Bat, a 1930s costumed pulp hero with an identical origin story and several other conceptual overlaps with Batman, as well as The Whisperer, a young hotshot police commissioner who dresses up as a disfigured vigilante to kill criminals without consequence (and who’s somehow less of a maniacal asshole in his secret identity than in his regular one), but it turns out that there actually was a 1910s pulp hero called The Two-Faced Man:

Crewe was created by “Varick Vanardy,” the pseudonym of Frederic van Rensselaer Dey (Nick Carter, Doctor Quartz), and appeared in three short stories and two novels and short story collections from 1914 to 1919, beginning with “That Man Crew” (The Cavalier, Jan. 24, 1914). 

Crewe is “The Two-Faced Man.” 

He is in his forties and has gray hair and a “sharply cut and handsome profile—until one caught a view of the other side of his face and saw the almost hideous blemish that nearly covered it, and which graduated in corrugated irregularity from a delicate pink to repulsive purple.” 

Crewe is two-faced in another way. Crewe is a saloon owner in below Washington Square. But he has another identity: Birge Moreau, portraitist and socialite hanger-on. Crewe uses both his identities to solve crimes as an amateur detective.

The only person to know about both of Crewe’s identities is a police inspector who is also Crewe’s friend and who Crewe helps in pressing cases - The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heores by Jess Nevins

And speaking of obvious picks for Supervillains turned Pulp Heroes,

Assuming I even need to make a case for Kraven the Hunter other than just presenting this cropped panel from Squirrel Girl and in particular the art painted on the Kra-Van, or even just telling you to read Squirrel Girl and it’s take on “The Unhuntable Sergei” (I had no idea most of the people saying “Kraven’s arc in Squirrel Girl is as good if not better than Kraven’s Last Hunt” weren’t actually joking in the slightest and I speak as someone who has Kraven among their absolute favorite Marvel characters, it had no right being that good), I’m going to quote the brilliant Rogue’s Review from The Mindless Ones that lays down in painstaking detail why Kraven could make a killer protagonist in that horrifically over-the-top pulp fashion

One thing that strikes me writing this, is how well Kraven could hold his own comic. There’s always room for a book spotlighting a ruthless, hardcore, gentleman bastard, and Kraven’s raison d’etre makes him supremely versatile, so well suited to any genre, any environment. It’s odd that more writers haven’t jumped on the fact that in a universe where off-world travel is possible – indeed, common – a hunter like Kraven would have a field day. 

I can just imagine the opening scene – herds of weird cthuloid bat creatures grazing in the gloomy green nitrogen fields, bathed in lethal, bone splintering fog, when, suddenly, LIGHT! from above and an unholy bellowing: “CTHGRGN fthgrgnARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHGN!”

They look up in fear and then they start to run – ploughing into and over each other, tentacles flailing, as from the space-ship’s docking bay Kraven silently plummets, barely dressed for the cold, a glowing knife smothered in elder signs jammed between his teeth. 

You should have seen him one night previous, sipping alien tokay around the Captain’s table with the other guests, discussing the morning’s hunt; and the way he insulted the Skrull dignitary by forgetting himself and accidentally sporting his favourite piece of formal wear: his boiling unstable dinner-jacket of many colours, fashioned from the hide of one of the Ambassador’s super kinsmen.

Whoops!

Midway through Kraven explaining how the best way to irreparably damage a symbiote is to wait until its bonded with you and then seriously maim yourself, the Skrull decided it might be a good idea to simmer down, while his beautiful Inhuman lover hung on every word.

The deeper I get into this the more convinced I am that the MU’s hunter-killer extraordinaire wouldn’t limit himself to bloody planet Earth. And neither would he limit himself to this dimension, or universe or timeline. The guy’d be just as at home leaping, sword raised, onto the back of a T-Rex in the Savage Land, as he would be ploughing through werewolves in the graveyards of Arkham or tracking a howling Demon across Mephistopheles’ realm. 

He’d work perfectly in all these environments because he has a damn good reason to be casting a bloody swathe through them: wherever there’s big game, you’ll find Kraven.

The next choice I guess is an oddball, but not that much of an oddball if you know already what is my main frame of reference towards Marvel

I don’t think people appreciate enough that the main reason Shuma-Gorath has anything resembling a fanbase has nothing whatsoever to do with the comics he was in, but entirely because, when Capcom designers had a list of Marvel characters to pick from to work on Marvel Super Heroes, they took a look at the diet Cthulhu and went “gimme THAT one”, and then went all-in in giving the alien squid monster a funky personality along with a great stage and music and animations and all that great fighting game character stuff, and now he’s maybe the most popular Dr Strange villain along with Dormammu and Mordo, despite having ZERO film appearences or major showings in comic sagas.

Capcom's designers redefined Shuma-Gorath from a nebulous cosmic evil into a comically smug cartoon bastard who can rant about devouring all dimensions and souls horrifically while also cracking poses and zingers like “How do you expect to win a fight with only two arms?” and having dinners with Dhalsim or hosting Japanese game shows in his endings, and it kills me that none of this ever made it’s way into any depictions of the character outside of MvC. 

So that’s kinda what I’d go with. I’d take Capcom’s Shuma-Gorath, depower him a bit obviously from his canonical power, and run with the premise of his MvC3 ending where he decides that, well, if he's the unlikely savior of this pathetic planet and these wretched human dogs like him so much, and he’s clearly having a much better time here among them than he ever had drifting among the stars cealessly consuming life, then maybe he can take a break from all that eldritch business and keep up hosting the Super Monster Awesome Hour and maybe fight whatever PITIFUL villains think can take HIS planet. I mean, he’ll probably still end up destroying the planet by the end, but why not give this hero business a try?

Just until he gets his full powers back of course. 

I mean you can’t deny he DOES look pretty good in that bowtie, surely The Great Shuma-Gorath wouldn’t be so unmerciful as to deny these vile wastes of flesh something good to look at in their brief and miserable lives.

[defdaily]

BEAUTY+ Magazine May 2021 issue featuring JAY B: The Second Act

Translated by defdaily

Among the past, present, and future, which do you think about the most?

The present. I believe that the present is the most important. The future makes you worry constantly, and the past makes you regret constantly so I try not to think about them. Now, I try to make decisions I won’t regret.

Do you think about your current state and things you want to do?

I contemplate a lot about the state of my emotions or what to do in my current situation. Ever since I was young I thought it’d be good to live like the flowing water, tranquilly. You know how water changes its state based on its surroundings. I want to be someone in the free water-like flow.

Has your life until now been like free-flowing water?

My life itself may seem spectacular, but I think the flow of my life itself has been. There was a lot I was lacking in since debuting with GOT7 but I tried my best to show a colour suitable for GOT7. I changed myself according to the container I was in, and instead of being stagnant in one place, I think I flowed here well.

You seem to be careful with choosing an agency. What factors are you contemplating about?

I think about whether I will suit the company. It might be tiring for others to see because I’m so meticulous, and I may seem selfish but I think that I should be selfish right now. My future depends on it as well as the future of the company I will be going to. I think I will have to be selfish for both sides to produce good results.

The members showed their natural sides in the Encore music video. Looking back to 7 years of GOT7’s activities, what is the most memorable moment?

Since we’re performing artists, I remember a lot of moments on stage. 2-3 years ago in Thailand we performed our solo tracks for 7 days and then performed OUT all together as a group. I think a lot about how we were all so excited to perform. I think of those times we were together as seven.

What kind of team was GOT7? Judging as a leader?

The direction of GOT7 I thought of was a fun and free-spirited team. Since Look came out, I’ve been telling the company that we “shouldn’t try too hard to set the mood or look cool. Songs with a style like Look will be our strength.” I don’t think things turned out the way I thought they would. But as you can see from our last album’s song ‘Breath,’ it feels like we went in circles and came back to our original spot. There is some regret about how it would've been good to go more in that direction, then we could’ve shown a more solidified colour. But as a result, it’s a fact that we became a team capable of pulling off various colors.

Did you make those suggestions thinking about the members, because you thought it was what set you guys apart from other groups?

I talked a lot with my members. It seemed like they had the most fun with bright, fun, and chill performances. With performances like that, we think about harmony rather than how each of us can look cool. It leaves a greater impression on the fans when we are visibly having fun.

It seems like the public has also watched over the growth of JAY B. Starting as a bboy to a main vocalist, and writing many remarkable K-pop songs. You also played a huge role in establishing GOT7’s colour. What led you to grow and develop in that way?

I thought that if I felt like I wasn’t growing, then I should quit music.

Does liking it not serve as a reason?

Because it’s my job. Being able to do what you like as a job is something to be grateful for. But if my skills don’t meet the standards and if there is no growth despite my efforts, it’s only right to do it as a hobby. I didn’t think that there was no growth when listening to my music. I thought it could work if I tried a bit more.

What was a song you feel like you reached a new level?

‘Teenager’ and ‘PAGE.’ I think the team’s color was completed with those songs. It helped me realize that I had the potential to write such songs. At first, I was persistent with sticking to my musical color. Later, I changed my thoughts and decided I should write songs suitable for GOT7. It’s something I should obviously do as a member of the team. I think that’s where ‘Teenager’ and ‘PAGE’ lined up very well.

The album 7 for 7 containing ‘Teenager’ was a turning point for GOT7. Through that album, we got the feeling that you guys found your color and most importantly, the quality of the songs written by the members was great. What happened during that time?

I think that’s when our potential exploded (laughs). GOT7 had three turning points. The first was ‘Stop Stop It.’ We heard the song and thought “Wow, this is it.” But the outfits were a bit regretful. The music and the visuals didn’t really match. We wore overalls (laughs). The second turning point was when the Flight Log trilogy was released, and the third was ‘Teenager’ of 7 for 7. That song later led to ‘Look’ and we got to sing ‘PAGE’ and ‘THURSDAY.’ Then we suddenly tried to change our direction to ‘ECLIPSE’ and ‘You Calling My Name’ but eventually ended up back to ‘Breath.’

When you listen to ‘Look’ or ‘PAGE’, do you feel like GOT7’s musical colour reflects your own preference and style? And you’ve made many GOT7 songs with ØFFSHORE crew.

It’s hard to say it wasn’t reflected. But according to my standards, they are songs I wanted to write for the team. I talked a lot with the crew about what (kind of song) should GOT7 do and what would suit GOT7. ‘Look’ was a song that was released because the mood suited GOT7 well. After that it was ‘PAGE’ and ‘THURSDAY’. Our colour was included naturally.

The 8 members of ØFFSHORE are consistently releasing albums. How is that taking place?

We talk about what we feel and decide on a theme whenever we want to release an album. When we decide on a theme, each person would write songs relating to the theme, we select songs and release an album. The themes usually come up as we are talking casually about life. For example <Scene 1> contains the process of leaving on a trip until coming back. Rather than the lyrics, the moods of the songs are like that. When you start the trip you listen to fun songs then (we) get a little calmer as the trip comes to an end. I organised the order of the songs for <Scene 2>. When talking with friends, you usually start by talking about work then you talk about life, the future and then you end up talking about love and relationships. I organised it as that kind of story. There is no specific goal. We spend the revenue from albums on production for the next album. Because everyone in the group are people who make music, there are things that were settled music-wise through these promotions.

You must have been influenced by your friends a lot not only musically, right?

Yes, of course. Regarding life too. I listen to what my older brothers/friends and my parents have to say. I think about the stories of the people who experienced it first once again. One older friend said “We are not doing this for a huge goal, don’t get stressed and let’s just make music.” When I was pondering about how to do better, I heard that and it hit me. Should I say, those words painted my life with colour. I felt like working with energy and strength didn't suit me at the time.

Is it true that you have made 3 albums? Do you only work on songs every day?

Yes. I usually stay in the studio when I can't do my hobby. And since the people I meet are friends who do music too. I don’t know if I can release an album but I’m preparing and working on it.

What kind of albums are they?

In the past, I made powerful “performance-type” songs, but for this album the mood is calmer and the sound is minimal. There is an acoustic feel too. There is a soft tender album, a sad album and a melancholic album too.

Where did the desperation come from?

The desperation of life. I can’t talk about it in detail but there was a topic I really wanted to talk about when I made the album. It could become an album that people frown upon. But, for the music I do alone, I thought I should include honest stories that match my situation.

Did you write about the pain and difficulties you’ve felt all this time? On the surface, you seem to be a recognised leader of a successful idol group, but you must have faced difficulties.

Yes. It’s one part of my life too. Looking back, the difficulties were caused by my own tendencies rather than external factors.

Is it because of the perfectionism you push onto yourself? It seems like the uncertainty and fear contributed to creating your current self.

Yes, I’ve never thought of myself as a perfectionist but people around me often tell me so. They must have a reason for saying that so I ended up acknowledging it myself. I was really ambitious with GOT7 too so I felt a lot of disappointment and stress. I work hard because I know if I don’t, it’ll come back to me as regret. It’s okay to look back to times when I didn’t know well enough and think, “I should’ve done this, I was naive.” What I hate is doing just enough because of reasons like lack of stamina despite knowing what I need to do and knowing that I’m not yet satisfied.

Until now, you’ve made music with the name Def. and through the JUS2 comeback, you also let us hear dreamlike songs from a baritone. Escaping from the category of idol, you now need to create a new identity – is there a kind of music you would like to do fresh?

It’s hard to say it rashly now but, whatever I do, I want to do it properly and solidly. I do prefer a relaxed and easygoing mood, but when it comes to music genres, R&B, hip hop, urban and pop will definitely be the groundwork. However, I do hope that my image will not be fixed to one (genre). It’s no fun to keep doing the same kind of music. And I’m sure there are times when I’ll have to become a little wilder. It’d be great if (I had) a free image. I also hope it’s an image that I won’t be embarrassed of. After coming to a new company and releasing an album, if it doesn’t do well, I think it would be right for me to leave.

Aren’t you fearing failure too much? How would it be possible to achieve what you wish in one go?

Of course, I’m scared. I’m very afraid of failure. Naturally, it won’t be possible to succeed in one shot, but I do have the standard of my Maginot line*. That is what I am referring to. I am usually the type that thinks of the negative things first. It’s not good to be unprepared for the worst-case scenario.

*Maginot line – taken from the fortifications that created the French line of defence, now coming to mean “a defensive barrier or strategy that inspires a false sense of security”

You’ve said that GOT7 has not disbanded, however since all the members are under new companies, coming back together as GOT7 will not be an easy thing to achieve. What kind of method are you thinking of?

I’ve talked a lot with the members. It’s our goal to write one song each month for GOT7. If it’s 1 year, then that’s 12 songs. All our members write songs, so if each one of us does that, then we can accumulate a lot of songs. Everyone is in different companies which will have their own situations, so I can’t make promises for certain, but our goal is to release one album every year. It would be great for that to happen, and I personally think that it should happen. Because that is the minimum courtesy we should show to our fans. It would be even better if we could have a stage.

It would be a new concept.

We heard that the release of our song ‘Encore’ was in an unprecedented manner, and this made my sense of duty and responsibility bigger. Because the steps we take in the future could influence the direction that others may take in the future too. I thought it was the end, but it’s only just the beginning,

Amongst your many hobbies, is there anything you would like to recommend?

Camping. Activities such as setting up tents and cooking really make you think. Even just sitting down in a chair surrounded by nature is really great. Waking up to the sounds of birds singing is amazing; the sound of water running too. Recently, I bought a folding furnace and create my own little fire space. It could be seen as something embarrassing but while having the fire there, if negative thoughts come up, I write it down and then burn it in the fire. If you think that camping may be tiring, glamping would be good too.

Since the name of the magazine is Beauty+, I wanted to ask, is there something that you thought was beautiful recently?

People passed by me laughing and making some noise, and as I saw that, I thought that laughter was something really beautiful. I realised why smiling and laughing is a beautiful thing. It’s not just laughing or smiling, but the emotions that encompass that are really so beautiful. Everything natural is beautiful.

Translated by defdaily.

[crayonwriting]

The Sakusa House

(gif credits)

series masterlist

"Hello!" "Hello!" The producer greeted. "What's your name?" "Kiyoshi!" He said cheerfully, fidgeting around the chair he was sat in. "And, how old are you Kiyoshi?" He raised the corresponding number of fingers and showed it to them. "Three!" "Oh wow, and can you tell as what is your dad's name?" "Sakusa Kiyoomi." He slid down the chair and started dragging it around, but he was still paying attention to the interviewer. "Do you like your dad?" "No." This made everyone present on the set chuckle a bit. "Really? Why not?" "I don't like him." Kioshi said this with a soft smile on his face. The interviewer continued to ask him questions. "What's your mom's name?" "Sakusa Y/N." "And do you like your mom?" "Yes!" He cheered and clapped happily. ** "I ate everything by myself instead of sharing and now I have a stomachache." You wiggled the stuffed rabbit at Kiyoshi while he was busy choosing which instrument he'll use in the toy doctor's kit you gifted him. You both were sat in his bedroom and since it was your day off before you had to leave, you decided to play with your son as much as you can. "Blow your nose." Kiyoshi said, reaching for the rabbit. You pulled it away from him. "I have a tummy ache. Why would I blow my nose?" You shifted the toy further away from him. "I don't have a runny nose." Kiyoshi stood up and pulled at your arm, successfully grabbing the stuffed animal. He cradled it in his arms and wiped around its nose. "It will feel good if you blow your nose." He mumbled softly to his 'patient' and you couldn't help but giggle, remembering that you told him those exact same words when he was sick. ** You were a medical professional, specializing in home medicine. You have been on some TV shows and news interviews that you weren't fazed that much by the cameras now installed at various parts of your house. You smiled at the interviewer when she shuffled through her notes of questions. "So, how did you meet your husband?" "Well, he was introduced to me by a friend, who happened to be teammates with his cousin." You smiled at the memory. "They just told me that he was tall and handsome,"you blushed at this, "And that he was a volleyball player too. My friend, Rintarou, is also a volleyball player." You remembered how Suna and Komori were so eager to have you and Sakusa meet, saying that since he was cautious of germs and you were on the medical field, it'd be a perfect match. "On the way to the bar where we were all supposed to meet at, they kept asking me if I didn't have any clue about him." Crossing your arms on your chest and leaning back on the chair, you recalled the conversation that night. "I really had no idea. He said that he was one of the top aces in Japan during highschool, but I wasn't into the sport at that time." Everything was actually a blur after that. You hit it off with him on that night once Komori broke the ice between you two. Before you knew it, you were already dating the Sakusa Kiyoomi. You weren't aware that he was a sought-after bachelor like his teammates at MSBY, that's why everyone was shocked when the news broke out that his heart was already taken. You dated for five years before finally getting married. And just a year later, Kiyoshi was born and there was nothing else Sakusa could ever ask for. ** "Are you sick, auntie?" Kiyoshi asked the camerawoman who was settled in the tiny house the production team set up in your living room. He leaned in closer to ask if she was sick, which she answered with an, 'I'm okay.' Kiyoshi dragged his doctor's kit around as he looked for patients. He kneeled down and stared at his toy dinosaur and asked if it was sick. Not getting any response, he moved to the other tiny house in the corner of the room where a cameraman was filming him. "Uncle, are you sick?" "No, I'm okay." "Are you sick here?" He gestured to his throat repeatedly. The cameraman chuckled and told Kiyoshi that he was fine. You were sat in the middle of the living room floor, just smiling to

yourself as you watched your son. He was petting his toy dinosaurs that were scattered around the floor. His mood suddenly turned down a bit and you wondered what was wrong. Kiyoshi looked around the room and saw his snake pillow by the mat. He lay himself beside it and hugged the pillow to his body. "Papa!" He shouted randomly. You smiled and ruffled his hair. "Where's papa, Kiyoshi? He's not home?" Just as you said this, your phone rang from the kitchen table. When you saw the caller ID, your heart skipped a little. "Hi Omi-kun." You put the phone on speaker. "Kiyoshi, it's papa." At the mention of his father, he immediately perked up and ran where you were. He raised his arms up, reaching for your phone. You handed it to him carefully. "Tell your papa to come home." You encouraged. "Kiyoshi." Sakusa said. "I don't like Papa." Your son said this with a cheerful voice. "I don't like you." "You what?" "He doesn't like you." You answered for him. You pulled Kiyoshi to sit on the couch. "You don't like me?" Sakusa's heart cracked a little, but he knew his son wasn't serious about it. "I don't like yoooou!" The three year old repeatedly sang. You shook your head at his playful antics. Kiyoomi's attitude was far from this and you wondered if you were as wild as Kiyoshi was when you were his age. "Don't say that Kiyoshi." Brushing his wavy hair away from his face, you said, "Why don't you ask papa to bring you something, hm? What do you want to eat?" Suddenly feeling playful once more, Kiyoshi ran away with your phone in hand. You chased him with small steps, asking him to slow down since he was running 'too fast'. He squealed and laughed waiting for you to catch him. "Gotcha'!" He laughed louder when you cornered him and tickled his sides. Sakusa, who was still on the phone, heard the precious laughs of his wife and son and the urge to get back home as soon as possible grew stronger. ** "Is there a reason why you decided to be on the show?" Sakusa cleared his throat before answering. "The main reason is that I want to be closer to my son, Kiyoshi." "What kind of dad are you?" Sakusa took a second to answer that, before he smiled to himself. "To be honest, I am a low priority to my child." He chuckled softly. "He loves his mom the most. And at one time, I noticed how big he was growing. Time passed by so fast and I felt like I'd wasted it." To others, three years may seem like a short time but for him, it felt like he had been absent for forever. "I felt...really bad about that. I can't call myself a good dad yet." He was fiddlimg with his fingers on his lap, before looking back at the interviewer. "I really want to get closer to him." The crew were visibly in awe at Sakusa's endearing love for his son. This was one of the rare times Sakusa really made an effort to answer questions in an interview. Who knew the stoic Sakusa Kiyoomi was a big softie? "How will you describe Kiyoshi?" "He's very cheeky." Sakusa chuckled. "He always stops and greets the people he sees and he'd wait until they greet him back. He's also cheerful and I'd like to think he's smart." He nodded at the thought. "He learns words very easily." ** The front door opened and Sakusa felt relief wash over him as he was welcomed by the familiar warmth of his home. He removed his mask and proceeded to take off his shoes by the genkan. "Papa! Papa are you hurt?" "Hm?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What was that? "Are you hurt?" Kiyoshi asked eagerly, bouncing on his feet. "He's been waiting to examine you all day." You smiled at your husband. You approached him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, making yourself blush a little. Sakusa smiled at you and handed the take out you requested. You took it gratefully, heading over to the kitchen to prepare dinner. "Papa, are you hurt?" Kiyoshi asked once more, this time with his doctor's kit in hand. "Will you treat me?" Sakusa asked, sitting down the first step of the stairs. "Please treat me. My head hurts." Kiyoshi rushed to open his

kit and got the plastic stethoscope out. He carefully put it on and approached his father. Sakusa held his small body to steady him as Kiyoshi started on the examination. "My chest hurts as well." His father feigned a pained expression—as best as he could—when Kiyoshi pressed the end of his stethoscope to Sakusa's chest. Sakusa let out faux groans which sounded robotic but Kiyoshi didn't notice. He rushed back to his kit and pulled put the plastic injection. "Papa, has a cough too. I should give you a shot." Sakusa let out a fake cough as well and when his son pressed the toy to his arm he faked another gasp. "Ouch." He said, blunt as ever. "That hurt." His son just laughed and rummaged through his kit once more, pulling out a knife. "We need to take out your snot, too." "What?" Sakusa stiffened. Kiyoshi rushed back to him with the toy knife pointed towards his dad and Sakusa stopped him right there. "What are you going to do with that knife?" "Snot!" "What?" He laughed lightly, still pushing his son away as Kiyoshi kept trying to shove the knife into his father's nose. "He did that with his other patients." You interrupted from the kitchen; Sakusa looked at you. "He's gonna take your snot out." You giggled at the slight horror on his face. He was a lot less wary of germs when he was home but still, he was cautious about everything he touches—and in this case, what goes in and out of his nose. "Papaaaaa!" Kiyoshi whined. In a spur of the moment, Sakusa held his son's arm and guided the small toy near his nose. He let it graze the inside in the very slightest and he hoped his son was satisfied with it. "Kiyoshi, papa doesn't want you to do...that." Looking up from your preparations once more, you witnessed Sakusa letting his son pick his nose. The laugh you let out was unintentional, but you found it heartwarming to see your husband stepping out of his comfort zone, just to please his son. "Do you remove your snot with a knife?" He asked Kiyoshi, to which he nodded proudly. "How does it feel?" You teasingly asked your husband. Before he could answer, Kiyoshi said, 'It feels nice!', in a cheerful voice. He was going through the kit again. "Maybe, I should take your snot out too, huh Kiyoshi?" Sakusa teased. The young boy ignored his father's remarks, standing back up to give his father a bottle with a picture of a capsule on it. This time he started shoving the bottle to his father's mouth but Sakusa was quick to lean away. He held Kiyoshi's hand that was holding the bottle near his face, opening and closing his mouth briefly as if taking the medication. Kiyoshi's face broke out into a huge grin, knowing that he had cured his father. Sakusa held his son's face in his hands and kissed his forehead. "Thank you." He muttered, making Kiyoshi beam. "Get cleaned up, it's dinner time." You chimed. Kiyoshi hurriedly shoved his toys back into the doctor's kit; the prospect of eating dinner making him excited. Sakusa offered to help him pack up, only to get hit on the leg as Kiyoshi spun around. - - - It was now bedtime and Sakusa was checking the doors and windows. He turned off the kitchen and living room lights and headed towards Kiyoshi's room, where you and your son were already settled. You and your husband decided to sleep all together for one night seeing as you'll be gone for a while. He sat himself on the futon on the floor while you were snuggled up with Kiyoshi on his bed. "Kiyoshi." The little boy sat up at his father's voice. "Who do you want to sleep with? Is it Bunny?" Sakusa was referring to the little boy's favorite stuffed animal. Kioshi thought for a bit before answering. "Mama should sleep with Kiyoshi." You stiffled a giggle. "Papa should sleep there." He leaned over slightly and pointed to the futon Sakusa was already settled at. "I should sleep on the floor?" "Yes." Sakusa expected this and just shook his head. He never really was his son's priority. You stared at him to get his attention, silently asking him if he was okay. He answered with a soft

smile and a nod. You laid on the open edge of Kiyoshi's bed so that he wouldn't roll over to the floor. You extended your hand to your husbnad which he took gratefully. He lifted it up to his lips and gave it a delicate kiss. Your spine tingled at the sensation of his lips on your skin. Kiyoshi then handed you a book to read and snuggled to your side. You kissed the top of his head and started reading to him. Sakusa then laid down on the soft futon on the floor and turned his body to the side, facing you two. Just like his son, he let the sound of your voice lull him to sleep. *** "Papa! Papa!" Sakusa groaned and willed himself to wake up at the sound of Kiyoshi's calling. "Papa, did you sleep well?" He asked, already energetic. The room was dark except for the small sliver of light that escaped the curtain on one side. Kiyoshi was bouncing on his bed, sprawling his body on top of yours, effectively waking you up. He was able to make out Kiyoshi's small figure despite the dark room. "Hmm, yes Kiyoshi. Did you sleep well?" He asked, voice deep and still laced with sleep. His son didn't answer the question as he hyperactively called out to him again. "Papa!" Sakusa hummed in acknowledgement. "Now that I'm awake, can I have fun?" "Of course." Sakusa replied sitting up from the futon and stretching. He looked at your rousing form as you rubbed the sleep oit of your eyes. It may be cliché to think but despite your disheveled look, you're still breathtaking to him. "Good morning, my love." He took your hand and gave the back of it a soft kiss, just like he did the night before. He had refused to give you morning kisses even from the very start of dating, saying that it was unhygienic. "Good morning, Omi." You kissed his hand as well. "Had a good sleep?" "Sort of." He said bluntly, making you giggle. "Our bed is still better than this futon. Why didn't we just let Kiyoshi sleep in our room?" "Omi, he needs to learn to sleep in his own room." You chastised him playfully. While the both of you conversed, Kiyoshi went around his room, greeting all of his stuffed animals that sat atop his drawers. "Good morning Mr Penguin! Good morning Ms. Penguin!" He gave each toy a pat on their heads. ** After folding up the futon and blankets and freshening up, Sakusa headed for the kitchen and started on making breakfast. He measured two cups of rice and started washing them under the faucet. It wasn't long before you and Kiyoshi followed after him. "Shall we see what your papa is doing?" You hoisted Kiyoshi further up your arms for a better grip. You tapped on Sakusa's back, silently telling him to switch positions with you. He wiped his wet hands on a kitchen towel nearby and held them both out to Kiyoshi. "Come to me." He said. Kiyoshi just look at his dad before vigorously shaking his head. "Play with papa now, Kiyoshi. Mama needs to make breakfast." You rubbed his back and tried to pass him off to Sakusa but to no avail. Kiyoshi's grip on your neck tightened as he stuck his body to yours. "Why won't you play with me?" Sakusa asked, while brushing Kiyoshi's hair away from his face. The little boy looked away from his father. "I don't want to play with you." Kiyoshi mumbled into your shoulder. You tried setting him down on the kitchen floor but he just lifted his feet higher so as to not touch the floor. He let himself dangle from your neck until you gave up and stood up again. He whined in protest. Sakusa sighed and placed a hand on your lower back and whispered that it was okay. He didn't mind making his family some breakfast. "Are you sure?" You asked. He dismissed you with a small nod and a soft smile. He sighed quietly almost getting used to being little to no priority to Kiyoshi. You had told him before that it just takes a while and Kiyoshi was just three. Sakusa has all the time to change his son's mind, Kiyoshi saw how sad his papa looked when you started to walk away from the kitchen. He can't let his papa be sad and he wanted to comfort him. Like a switch, his earlier

distaste for his father was nowhere to be seen as he reached out to Sakusa. "Papa, hug me please?" He called out to him. You immediately set him down on his feet as he waited for Sakusa. Two big strides was all it took for Sakusa to reach his son and to scoop him in his arms. You couldn't help but smile at the interaction. "Show me your love, Papa." You giggled behind your hand as you noticed Sakusa's ears turning a slight tint of pink. You gave him a sly wink before walking back to the kitchen to continue the breakfast preparations. Sakusa couldn't help but blush at his son's words. To be honest, he wasn't really hiding it. He usually wasn't at the receiving end of Kiyoshi's affection. So during times that he is, he wouldn't care if he turned as red as a tomato. Kiyoshi rested his head on his father's strong shoulder, rubbing his hand on it far comfort. He remembers his parents rubbing his back during the times that he cried. So, he did it to Sakusa so that he wouldn't cry. Sakusa held the back of his son's head carefully, pressing a kiss to his temple. He swayed the both of them from side to side as they enjoyed the small yet intimate moment. ** "Open your mouth a little wider, Kiyoshi." He did as he was told but the scowl on his face remained while Sakusa helped him brush his teeth. Sakusa wanted his son to learn about hygiene and cleanliness at the youngest age so he hoped he was setting a good example. "Almost done." He stroked the brush gently in Kiyoshi's mouth before Sakusa declared that he was done. He rinsed out the small baby toothbrush before placing it back along with yours and his own. Kiyoshi was just about to step down from his step stool but Sakura was quick to stop him. "Let's wash your face first." He held Kiyoshi softly. Wetting his hand, he wiped and rubbed it down Kiyoshi's face as gentle as he could. He knew his hands weren't as soft as yours. After several years of playing volleyball, his hands were bound to be a little rough. It didn't seem to affect Kiyoshi in anyway. As Sakusa's hand ran down his face, he stuck his tongue out playfully. Everytime he would lick Sakusa's hand, he laughed to himself. Sakusa would flinch everytime his hand would make contact with Kiyoshi's tongue, only making the child laugh louder. ** During the time your boys were enjoying their moment together, you made breakfast. Egg omelettes, rice, fried salmon, miso soup, a serving of natto for Kiyoshi and Sakusa's favorite, umeboshi. "Itadakimasu!" Sakusa placed small servings of omelette and fish into Kiyoshi's bowl while you mixed his natto. Kiyoshi waited patiently as he took small bites off of the fish and eggs. When you were done, you scooped some natto and held it in front of your son. He opened wide and gratefully accepted the food. It was unusual for kids to like the traditional dish. But for some reason, Kiyoshi loved it. Sakusa took a bite of his umeboshi, savoring the taste. Ever since dating him, you've tried your best to make him homemade umeboshi and now that you've mastered it, it's the only umeboshi that he eats—even if you don't like the dish. "The soup is hot!" Kiyoshi stuck out his tongue. You offered him some water. Scooping up some miso soup with his spoon, you blew on it slightly to cool it down. "Here. I cooled it down for you." You fed him the soup which made Kiyoshi dance in his chair. "You're eating so well, Kiyoshi!" You said, ruffling his hair. As you continued to feed your son, Sakusa was enjoying the view. It always blew his mind how lucky he is to have you and Kiyoshi in his life. Having his own family was far from his thoughts when he was still in Itachiyama. But after meeting you, he found himself stepping out of his comfort zone—willingly—and he didn't regret any second of it. This only fueled him to do better for you and especially for Kiyoshi. ** "Papa, what are you doing?" Sakusa glanced at Kiyoshi who was in your arms once more, before returning to the task at hand. "Are you washing my dishes?" "Yes, I am washing your dishes."

Sakusa's response only made Kiyoshi laugh. You played with Kiyoshi in the living room while Sakusa cleaned up after breakfast. He turned down your offer to help, saying that you can go ahead and play with Kiyoshi. Besides, he found it relaxing to do a little bit of chores especially when it's cleaning. When Sakusa was done with the dishes, he started wiping down the table and kitchen counters. After that he cleaned the dining room floor, especially under Kiyoshi's chair where grains of rice and soup stains littered the floor. As the floor was taken care of, he gathered all the trash and took it outside to the bins. Meanwhile, you went upstairs and started getting ready for your small trip with your sister. You asked Kiyoshi if he can help his father which he happily answered with a 'yes!' Kiyoshi actually just stood near Sakusa and watched him clean. Almost twenty minutes had passed before you came down the stairs, fully dressed and carrying two bags. "Kiyoshi, I'll be going out now." Sakusa and Kiyoshi were playing with his dinosaurs when you got down. You weren't even gone that long and the two of them are already getting close. Sakusa picked up Kiyoshi and walked towards you. You leaned up a little and placed a big kiss on his cheek. "Play well with dad, okay?" He nodded as he clung to his father's neck. "Bye Mama." You smiled. You looked at Sakusa who was looking at Kiyoshi witha soft smile on his face. "Good luck, Omi." You whispered. He turned his gaze to you, eyes widened in the slightest at the meaning behind your words. The worry of taking care of his child who doesn't like him is starting to creep its way into Sakusa's consciousness. Laughing, you leaned on your toes and kissed his lips quickly. "You can do it." You rubbed your thumb on his forehead to remove the slight furrow of his eyebrows, which were bent in uneasiness. "You can do it." Kiyoshi repeated, laying his head on Sakusa's shoulder. This made both of you laugh. "Have fun, Y/N." Sakusa smiled, "I will." You placed a hand om the wall, balancing yourself as you put om your shoes. Sakusa picked up your bags and handed them to you,. "Mama, have fun." Kiyoshi copied his father this time. When you looked at your son, you noticed that he had a sad look in his eyes. It was because he isn't used to being away from you for too long. "Kiyoshi, have fun with papa okay?" Kiyoshi nodded obediently, clinging closer to Sakusa's neck. "Okay. Don't worry about us." You waved at both off them before finally heading out the door. The house grew quiet. Sakusa looked at Kiyoshi who was still staring at the front door. "Mama is gone." Sakusa stated. Kiyoshi looked at his dad but didn't say anything. ** "Kiyoshi and I will become close," Sakusa nodded to the camera with a determined look om his face, "I know I'll do well."

—

A/N: Happy birthday, my Kiyoomi! 💛💚 (THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED ON SATURDAY. TUMBLR WHYYYYY)

03.18.2021

[nealcassatiel]

Supernatural and Russia and the mess of Television Legal Contracts

One of the most important aspects of a television series’ life cycle is its distribution. It is in the stage of distribution when the production companies/studio recoup the largest amount of costs.

By looking at who distributes the show, as well as which companies stand to gain the most from distribution profits, we can gain greater understanding of the various complex agreements and finances at play.

Viewing Statistics in the USA, Russia, and other International Territories

Let’s take a look at where Supernatural is distributed, and it’s popularity in the countries in which it airs. 

After the US, in the past 30 days, Supernatural’s next biggest market is in Russia. The next is in Brazil. 

This got long - more under the cut (I’ll be talking about cuts shortly)

In Russia, Supernatural has been in the top 0.2% watched shows in Russia (link) . This is also the case in Brazil. 

In 2019, a modest survey was done on urban and rural Russians asking them what foreign television they watch. Supernatural was the 6th most mentioned foreign television show (link).

In 2017, Supernatural was three times more popular in Russia than it was in the US (link - this article has just a whole other host of information about it being popular amongst urban and rural US residents, as well as popular amongst both Republics and Democrats, however i haven’t looked further into that data so not going to discuss it much here)

So selling Supernatural to Russia and airing it in Russia is going to bring in a lot of revenue for The C*W and the production companies. That is a lucrative distribution territory and of a huge amount of importance to the network. Russia will air both new episodes, and reruns. Of course, if Supernatural made a queer love story a central premise, then execs are going to get scared that not only will the finale may not be aired in one of their biggest, if not their biggest market: Russia, but that the broadcasters who distribute the show in Russia might also pull the rest of the show and stop broadcasting reruns too. That’s a shit tonne fo distribution profits gone for The C*W, and who knows, maybe their relationship with Russian broadcasters who air their other shows will be on the rocks. After all, trying to sell gay tv to Russians right now is, sadly, never going to happen. This is not an indictment on the Russian viewers, but me saying that the show won’t be sellable to Russian broadcasters if it is too queer.

A huge huge majority of US Supernatural fans are progressive and wanted the more queer focused and found family ending. But the C*W and Warner believes that there are still enough US fans who don’t want something that progressive to be shown. They also know that one of their biggest markets is Russia, and Dean being shown to be bi will not go down well there. I’m just speculating, but The C*W may have looked at those chunks of audience who give them money and decide that they only care about those profits. 

The frustrating thing however, is that no matter the power of Russian Supernatural audiences, looking at the other progressive countries and the popularity of Supernatural there - these numbers as a collective outshine those of Russia. So maybe Russia isn’t that important. Or maybe all The C*W needed to think was ‘we don’t want to stop profits from our biggest international viewership’ and so they never even went further and thought about the collective viewership of the audiences from progressive countries. As I said at the start, distribution is where the companies who invested into making a show recoup the most costs. All the money that comes from distribution is incredibly important.

DISTRIBUTION AND CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENTS

The writers, the crew, the actors, don’t really get the distribution profits. They may get small cuts of things or bonuses here and there, but they’re all essentially employed by the production company. It is the production company and studio who has sunken money into making the show who will get a cut of the distribution profits. So the production companies and co-production companies, the creator (maybe still if they had a good agent when they first sold the pitch), the network are all going to be the ones to care about how much a finale will matter to profits from showing reruns in less progressive countries. Dabb is an employee - he personally will be paid a fixed sum which is given to him by the production company. He does not care if SPN can’t be aired in Russia - that has no personal affect on him. He was paid to showrun the series and he’ll get nothing more even if it becomes the most watched anti-gay homophobic celebrated show in Moscow. He has no financial reason to cater to anyone. He’s just an employee. 

But if information like this, the knowledge that for multiple years TPTB have wanted Supernatural to cater to a non-progressive international and national audience for the sake of distribution profits, then the show should have never have taken the narrative to a place whose ending could not be green-lit.

If for the sake of these pofits and other secondary rights, for the sake of appeasing rural/southern USA viewers, and trying to keep an audience for Walker, The C*W derailed the final two episodes, then I still don’t fully understand why the ending was heading towards destiel when all of this distribution finance information has been known for many many years. 

It makes sense why such a terrible finale would happen, but it doesn’t make sense why up until episode 18, the entire narrative of the show was leading somewhere completely different? Why were the writers of SPN heading straight towards one thing, if they knew they always knew that they’d have to have a completely different ending? 

The Right of Final Cut / Final Cut Privilege

The answer may lie in the fact that The C*W wasn’t really paying that much attention to SPN, they couldn’t really see all the subtext, but suddenly the subtext all was going to become text and they were all twiddling their thumbs and looking for something to do during COVID when the industry shut down, so they suddenly got way more involved. 

Let’s quickly clear up who The C*W is and how they relate to SPN as a company. Supernatural lists The C*W as one of it’s distributers, but lists Warner Bros Television as a production company. When SPN started it was made by The WB (which is now The C*W). It’s all under Warner Media anyway, but we can basically say that Warner Bros Television (listed as a co-producer of SPN) is the sam as The C*W who is listed as a distributer of SPN. They’re essentially the same so The C*W is both producing and distributing SPN, as well as owning the format rights to the show - sorry that’s all complicated anyway The C*W are the big dogs who own Supernatural and have done from the beginning back when they were called The WB)

Essentially, The C*W have a co-production and distribution agreement for SPN. The power they have from that first agreement when they bought the show off Kripke is almost certainly still MASSIVE today. They are not only the ultimate distributers, but the ultimate producers with all the agreements and all the rights. 

Anyway, back to that first agreement: This was Kripke’s first big deal, and he almost certainly gave Warner Bros/The C*W a whole host of creative control in exchange for them sinking a shit tonne of money into making the show. Which makes me wonder if The C*W has something in entertainment law called “the right of final cut/final cut privilege”. If a studio or distributer has sunken a heck tonne of costs into making the series and are the ones who most need to recoup the distribution costs, then in their contract they may try to give themselves the ‘final cut privilege’ - essentially, this is the final edit. There’s the Director’s Cut, but then after that there is the Final Cut. The Final Cut is what is broadcast. Nowadays, most series and films don’t allow the directors to have final cut privilege anyway - it’s fairly rare from my understanding (one of my hats is a television legal contracts assistant, and all of these contracts still confuse me even though it’s an element of my job - I’m not trained in this outside of work so i apologise if this isn’t clear). The studio or distributer doesn’t even need to clear their final cut with the writer/director/producer. They can just do it. Cut it up and broadcast it, because they’re allowed to in their contract.

So with the finale episode being so short, a mess of montages, Carry on My Wayward Son versions back to back, a narrative mess, the pacing completely off, some scenes way too short and others way too long - this really could insinuate that the stupid clause of ‘the right of final cut’ was utilised by The C*W and without the need to get the permission or allowance of Dabb or even the other production companies, they edited everything they didn’t like out of the finale, citing their contract and the fact that they’re the ones who need to recoup distribution costs, and they don’t want to piss off large swathes of their national and international audience.

In Conclusion

So positives? Well, now that SPN is done and dusted, if there is a spin-off then this shouldn't affect distribution deals in Russia or Brazil. If whoever buys the format rights for Supernatural, allows The C*W to still sell the old series distribution rights, then market the new season of SPN not as a new season but a spin-off, then this will give them more freedom to not cater to the conservative international and national audiences SPN was beholden to due to distribution profits. What I’m saying is - a spin-off could free itself from catering to anyone who isn’t progressive. The old audiences can carry on showing reruns of SPN and completely ignore the new ‘fake’ gay spin-off. They can say that it’s a different production company, a different network - and therefore not the legitimate show. Great. Free SPN. 

A new format agreement could also mean that the new producers could ensure that not the distributer, but the director, or the new trusted production company themselves gets the Right of Final Cut. If another agreement is made, please please please take that right away from The C*W/Warner. 

The difficulty in getting the SPN rights would be caused by the mess of a Format Agreement to even get those rights... Supernatural is co-produced by Kripke Enterprises, Warner Bros. Television, Supernatural Films, and Wonderland Sound and Vision. I’m assuming Kripke Enterprises and Supernatural Films may be under Warner Media (as Warner Bros and The C*W itself is). If Jensen wanted to produce the new spin-off then his new production company is under WB/Warner Media too... so. Disentangling meddling and shitty Warner Media execs from a spin-off would be difficult because they own everyone. 

All in all, it’s easy to see now with that mess of a finale that this was caused with whoever has “The Right Of Final Cut/Final Cut Privilege’. And I HIGHLY doubt Singer or Dabb or any mere employee on the show has it. It’s more and more obvious to me that this power lies in the hands of The C*W/Warner and they didn’t even try to loop Dabb or the main cast in when making the final edits. I’m sure the C*W started to get involved at episode 19 and in the development stage of episode 20, but i’m certain they had a hand in the disastrous final cut. 

I hope we’re able to pry our beloved show out of the hands of those who don’t care about its narratives, but have more power than anyone to change the show’s narratives. Thanks for coming with me on this essay/me working out this complicated mess. It’s 00:50 and I'm super tired so I hope all this makes sense. Television contracts confuse me and I work with them so i dunno how clear any of this is. 

Anyway - I hope it was totally boring.